Going the Distance
by hyper-chipmunk
Summary: She'd wanted to just walk away from him before she did something stupid like go back outside and jump him, except she couldn't seem to make herself leave. Was Joe Grant really worth risking a long distance relationship? Is Jane even willing to try?
1. Chapter 1

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I just recently had a chance to catch up and watch this series from the beginning and I had so many ideas for stories, I just had to write something. With that said, this little creation is for anyone who watched episode 1x03 Sympathy for the Devil and was as disappointed with the ending and Grant leaving as I was. I don't know how many Jane/Joe Grant shippers there are out there in the world other than me, but I hope there are a few that may enjoy this. I only had two episodes of appearances to work with to try to keep Grant in character so I'm not sure I did a very good job but I did try. This story is meant to be the first in a series (with later episode tags as the series progresses) but if there isn't any interest for me to continue I like to think this piece can stand alone just fine as a one shot. I don't have a beta so I apologize in advance for any mistakes I may have made.

Disclaimer: Nope, don't know a thing from the show, but I do own an awfully cute puppy that fell asleep next to me while I wrote

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"_Well, have fun in Washington. I'll miss you." _

Jane quickly closed the door behind herself, more than willing to put something physically between her and the drenched man she had just left behind. She'd fully intended to just walk away from the whole situation before she changed her mind and did something stupid, like go back out into the rain and jump him. However, as much as she tried to step away from the door, she couldn't actually make herself move in any direction, either towards or away from him. Dejected, with her back to the door, she slid down the panel of wood until she ended up on the floor, her knees bent in front of her and her head bowed into her hands between her knees.

She really should be worried about the muddy floor she's sitting on ruining her work clothes or possibly blocking the doorway for any other tenant of her building trying to escape the storm, but her brain is too busy playing a continuous loop of the situation she just ran away from to register anything else. Outside she could still hear the rain steadily coming down and tried to focus on the rhythmic padder of raindrops against the ground to calm her racing heart as his words replayed in her head.

_"I liked you...for a long time, I mean like a really, really, really long time."_

The reenactment running through her head was abruptly disrupted by a soft knock on the door from somewhere over her head. She held her breath, debating with herself for a full 4 seconds before she slowly rose from her spot on the floor. Cautiously, she cracked the door open, knowing who, but not exactly what to expect on the other side.

The door felt heavier than it should have for the first few inches but once she saw his face and the look in his eyes on the other side, she swung the door the rest of the way open as easily as she exhaled the breath caught in her throat.

Joe didn't waste much time with greetings. As soon as the door was open wide enough for him to have access to her, he had her in his arms and was nuzzling from her neck all the way up to ear, all hesitance he'd possessed just moments ago suddenly washed away by the rain still dripping from his body.

She didn't know where his sudden surge of courage came from but she wasn't about the stop him and ask.

He licked an arrant drop of water from her ear and she was nearly paralyzed by the shiver of unrestrained pleasure that danced down her spine. She knew what was coming and closed her eyes in anticipation. She only hoped she had the will to stop once she got a taste.

"Janie" he whispered into her ear.

The thought crossed her mind for a split second that she should be rebelling against the pet name he'd just murmured into her ear, but once he started trailing a line of sweet little kisses from her ear to her mouth, she decided she'd let it slide just this once.

Then his lips were on hers and any awareness that was left between the two of them dissolved, along with the rest of the world.

It wasn't perfect, she'd found through past experiences most first kisses hardly ever were, but he, and it, were damn good. He grabbed her hips and pulled her as close as he possibly could and gently backed them up until they hit the wall behind her. He pinned her to the wall, trying to keep as much bodily contact as possible between them. After awhile one of his hands wandered from where he had grabbed her hips up to her head and cradled the back of her head, buried wrist deep in her damp silky hair. Jane in turn kept her hands busy by wrapping them around his neck and then letting one slip down to explore his back and shoulders.

When he ran his tongue along her bottom lip to deepen the kiss, she was more than willing to let his deliciously talented tongue into her mouth. At the first real taste of him she tried to suppress a groan but failed miserably as his tongue explored her mouth. _God she was going to get addicted to him_.

They stayed locked together oblivious to anything else for a few perfectly blissful moments before they both pulled back from lack of oxygen. After taking a few shallow breathes and opening her eyes to attempt to meet his, the world came fuzzily back into perspective.

She wanted him.

He wanted her.

She was staying in Boston.

He was still going to D.C.

With his forehead pressed against hers, Joe tried to collect himself so he could meet her chocolate gaze.

"I know I just made this situation so much more complicated but I can't just walk away from you Jane. I've wanted this...you, for so long."

His whispered confession struck a chord with her and she leaned in to hug him. With her head nestled in the crook of his neck she let her own confession slip out.

"I don't want you to go." She pulled away just enough to look him in the eyes. "Stay...for just a little bit longer." she pleaded with her eyes "Please?"

"I can only promise you tonight, my flight leaves early tomorrow morning." He kissed her forehead before continuing "Is that alright?"

"I guess it'll have to be for now." Jane thought about asking him to stay for real, as in with her in Boston, but immediately dismissed it as not the best idea she'd ever come up with. Instead, she untangled herself from his embrace and took in his waterlogged appearance before making up her mind as to what would be second best.

"Why don't you come on upstairs with me, I'll make some coffee and we can try to dry off a little."

Joe reached up and tucked some unruly strands of hair back behind her ear before answering.

"I think I like that idea."

"I thought you might, I do have some pretty good ideas." Jane smiled and grabbed his hand in hers before leading him to her apartment.

The short journey between the entranceway and her door was passed in a comfortable silence. They were greeted at the door by her dog, who took a few precautionary sniffs at Joe's shoes and out stretched hand before accepting a friendly pat on the head. Jane kicked off her wet boots then stripped off her coat and left it hanging over the back of a chair.

She took a moment to give Joe a once over before regarding him with an appreciative grin. She definitely liked what she saw. All his wet clothing only proved to accentuate his muscular physic, but she imagined he probably wasn't enjoying wearing the damp clothes as much as she was enjoying looking at him in them.

He was doing the polite thing and trying to stay in one place by the door so he wouldn't track mud or wet footprints across her floor but as he stood there trying to take in the full experience of being in her apartment, Jane suddenly burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" he asked perplexed.

"You. You look like a drowned rat. You want a towel _Joey_?" she teased as she walked off towards her hall closet to grab some clean towels.

He looked down to check his appearance and couldn't help but echo her laugh with his own. He especially liked the rather large puddle that was pooling at his feet; it was a very nice touch.

"Yeah, well what can you do? Sometimes your parade gets rained on."

He caught the towel Jane tossed to him from the hallway and started drying off.

"At least I don't look like a wet dog like you do _Janie." _He taunted her as she used her own towel to dry her hair.

"Don't call me Janie you ass!"

He might have taken the seemingly angry warning more serious if she hadn't ended her threat laughing.

"You're just jealous." she countered weakly

"Of your hair? Maybe." he gave her a genuinely happy smile which he tried to hide in a shy look. He took a few steps toward her until he was within an arms reach of her.

"I've always liked your hair...it's beautiful." he reached out to her and she came willingly into his arms.

Joe took pleasure in being able to run his hands through her hair a few times. He'd been fantasizing about doing it since he'd hit puberty and realized that girls were fun for so many more activities than just teasing. It was still damp but it was slowly drying in little ringlets around her face, framing her smile and falling over her eyes. He couldn't get over how soft her hair was or the fact that it smelled faintly of vanilla.

He buried his nose in her hair and took a few deep breaths, savoring the sensation while he still had the chance. In another few hours there would be about 450 miles between them, preventing him from doing this any time he wanted. He was sure as hell going to cherish this as a man with limited time ought to.

She had never considered herself as much of a girly girl, or a cuddler for that matter, so she was genuinely surprised when she realized how much she was actually enjoying being so uncharacteristically Jane. Apparently the slightly feminist and hardened cop in her was on vacation. Instead, she found herself slipping into quintessential girl mode and getting all snuggly with Joe despite her usual apprehensions for the action.

It was especially odd considering just yesterday she had mostly convinced herself she didn't even _like_ him.

She pulled away when even with his added body heat; the cool dampness of her clothes combined with his was getting just a little too uncomfortable for her tastes.

"Hey, I know soggy clothes aren't much fun to sit around in so let me go see if I can find something in my closet that might fit you."

"Fine, but I'm not wearing some ex-boyfriend of yours' stuff, that's just wrong."

Jane glared at him and walked away towards her room.

"I think you'll wear what I give you regardless of who it was last worn by if you know what's good for ya." she sassed back at him from down the hall.

"Oh come on Jane, you have to at least give me a small chance of keeping my dignity."

"Oh 'cause you're so dignified right now?" she yelled from her closet as she rummaged through her clothes looking for anything suitable.

"Hell Woman, I just spent the last 45 minutes out in the rain waiting for you to get home so I could apologize to you and tell you how I felt before I had to leave. The least you could do is let me keep a smidgen of my pride."

At this Jane did feel a little guilty, but how was she supposed to know he'd been waiting on her stoop for her? She really was flattered he cared enough to seek her out, let alone sit in the rain for almost an hour. She felt that familiar tingly butterflies in your tummy feeling as she finally realized how much he really _liked_ her. _Hold on, since when was she a butterflies kind of girl? Tough girl homicide detectives do not get butterflies! _

Jane reemerged from her room carrying a pile of clothes she tossed to him before pointing him towards her bathroom. He slipped out of his soggy shoes but still managed to leave damp footprints across her floor from his wet socks as he trudged towards her.

"I promise they haven't been worn by any ex-boyfriends." she assured him, kissing him on the cheek for good measure. As he made his move to pass her on his way to the bathroom she playfully slapped his ass and then disappeared into her bedroom to change out of her own wet clothes.

He reemerged from the bathroom a few minutes later wearing a pair of her socks, black sweatpants and a red Rizzoli &Sons t-shirt. He found her in the kitchen fiddling with the coffee maker and snuck up behind her.

A strong pair of arms came out of nowhere and wrapped themselves around Jane's waist causing her to jump. She'd been so distracted with making coffee she hadn't heard his approach. Though that didn't stop her from leaning back into the embrace once she realized who the arms belonged to.

"So I suppose I have your father to thank for the convent change of clothes then?" he guessed, pressing a kiss to her temple then resting his cheek against her hair.

"The stupid shirts were actually my mom's idea, some crazy ploy to increase business and boost customer appreciation or something like that. Dad thought they were kind of ridiculous so I got stuck with a bunch of them. You can keep the shirt but the pants are actually Frankie's so don't get too attached to them." she answered in a long sigh of contentment.

"Speaking of your mom, you do realize she's going to flip when she finds out about us right?"

"Ugh don't remind me!" Jane groaned and tried to bury her nose in the side of Joe's neck.

"She just wants you to be happy Jane." He reminded her before dropping a kiss to the top of her head.

"I know, I know, but she's never going to let me live this down! Hell, she'll probably throw a party when she finds out. I can hear her now 'My little Jane finally found herself a man to make her happy'."

"I thought you said you don't need a man to be happy?" he teased

"Yeah, I've told her that about a million times but I'm pretty sure it just goes in one ear and out the other."

"Well I don't want to toot my own horn or anything but you seem pretty happy right now. Maybe she had the right idea."

"You want me to punch you or just throw you out?" She asked as she pulled back from him and turned around to lean on the counter and glare at him properly "because I can do either or both if that's what you're after."

"Hey calm down." He held both of his hands up in surrender. "I'm not looking to take sides or start a fight; I'm just saying maybe there is a little bit of truth in her logic. Maybe you don't _need_ a man to make you happy but maybe it would be easier for you if you did have a very nice former police Lieutenant turned liaison to keep you company." He flashed what he hoped was an angelic looking grin at her and prayed it would be enough to calm her temper.

"You know I'm not so sure I like you anymore." She said as she turned her back on him to grab two mugs from a cabinet for their coffee.

"Oh come on Jane, you know you don't mean that."

"Oh really?" She countered "And how exactly do you know that?" raising an inquisitive eyebrow at his claim.

"You can't resist my roguishly handsome good looks or grand gestures of appreciation?" he tried first. Her skeptical look let him know she wasn't impressed with his playful answer so he tried again in earnest.

"How about the fact that you're such an extraordinary woman that despite me being a giant ass to you since we were kids you were still willing to give me a chance not even 5 minutes ago? Or because you want to know how this" he gestured between them "is going to turn out as much as I do."

Jane was silent as she poured their coffee and listened to him try to reason with her. She offered him one cup and took hers with her back into her living area to sit on the couch.

Joe followed her, a little apprehensive that he'd ruined his chances with her before they even really got an opportunity to play them out.

His anxiety was quelled when he sat down on the couch and Jane scooted over to relax next to him.

"You're lucky you're cute, or I would have kicked you to the curb by now." She commented as she took a nonchalant sip of coffee.

Joe muffled a chuckle at her comment before adding his own. "Why Jane, was that a compliment I just heard?"

"No...maybe" she tried to hide the blush spreading over her cheeks with her hair as she leaned forward to leave her mug on the coffee table. "What are you going to do about it if it was?"

He answered her challenge quickly "Oh something along the lines of…" he leaned in and claimed her lips again. It took her by surprise but she welcomed the kiss whole heartedly. It was sweet and playful but laced with an undercurrent of desire.

Despite how amazing his kisses made her feel, eventually Jane pulled back before things got out of hand. One of Joe's hands had already crept suspiciously close to the hem of her shirt and she didn't feel she was quite ready to let him get much farther.

They may have known each other since they were 5 years old but they had only just admitted any feelings for each other less than an hour ago. She had a reputation to uphold and she was already bending her usual 'new possible boyfriend' etiquette for him by letting him get so close so soon.

"Alright Tiger, I think you've had enough for now, you're starting to get ahead of yourself." Jane scolded him when that hand actually did creep under her shirt and a few fingers brushed her bare skin.

As much as he didn't want to, Joe did relent a little bit and his hand retreated from her shirt to settle on safer territory, which just happened to be her knee. "You're no fun Jane." He pouted but kissed her one final time.

"Well excuse me Mr. grabby but I don't see my hands down _your_ shirt."

"You could if you'd like. Would you like me to make it easier for you?" He went to pull his shirt over his head but was stopped halfway through his efforts by a surprise attack.

"No!" Jane squealed as she pounced on him to make him stop.

She didn't do well with temptation and what would inevitably happen if she did let him take his shirt off was not in her plans for the evening.

"If you want to stay here any longer you will keep that shirt on." Jane warned.

"Alright, alright, you win." Joe was only mildly disappointed but he played it up to the best of his ability. "I can tell when I'm not wanted." The second he tried to get up off the couch he was pulled back down by a strong tug.

"You running away already Joey? I would have at least thought you'd last a few hours…"

"Is that a challenge?" he asked, curiosity peaked.

"Just make yourself comfortable and watch the game with me. The Sox are playing the Yankees tonight so we have about 20 minutes to kill until baseball mortal combat ensues."

"Oh, well in that case I guess I have to stay." Joe settled down with one arm over the back of the couch and to his great surprise and delight, Jane snuggled into his side. He dropped his arm to drape around her shoulders and gently kissed her temple. "So now what?"

"Well, we do have a few things we can talk about…"

"You mean like how I can persuade you to somehow move to D.C. with me?" he asked hopefully.

"Nice try. I was thinking more along the lines of when you were going to be here in town. You said liaison right? That would imply that you have to come back at least some of the time?"

"I'll be based in Washington but I suppose there will be times when it would beneficial to come back here. I suspect they would involve a lot of meetings with the brass and politicians though, lots of ass kissing and that sort of thing, that's not really your style."

"Oh hell no, you got that right. What about your nights? They gonna be booked with politicians too?"

"I sure hope not. I'd rather be here kissing you than out there kissing their asses." He proved his point by stealing a quick kiss.

"So where does that leave us then?" She asked dreading his answer.

"Looking forward to a lot of long phone calls and lonely nights interspersed with occasional weekend or business trips?"

"Well that sure sounds tempting. Remind me again why we thought this was a good idea?"

Joe's only response was to kiss her again. A long, hungry and sensual kiss with teeth and tongues and every ounce of desire and lust he'd ever felt for her.

He managed to coax her back until she was lying across the couch, his body covering hers and cradled between her thighs, without ever breaking the kiss. By this point neither were thinking with their brains anymore. With legs tangled together and hands roaming to find any available skin, neither was inclined to stop for any reason, baseball be damned.

Joe was very appreciative of the tank top Jane had changed into that allowed him so much access to her neck. He ducked his head to nibble on her ear then moved steadily down her neck, biting, licking and sucking until he got to her collar bone and then zeroed in. She let out a pleasurable moan when he found just the right combination of teeth and suction. Taking her enthusiastic sounds as an approval to keep going he slowly worked his way back up to her lips.

Jane was on fire. Everywhere Joe touched was tingling and warm. She didn't even care that he now had _both _hands under her shirt. Without thinking, her hands fisted in his shirt and she slowly worked it up his chest and over his head. The action barely fazed Joe and he was back paying homage to her neck within a few seconds. Her hands roamed his back and a hand came up to run through his hair, all the while making appreciative groans and purrs to encourage him to continue any and all activities he had planned.

Joe had just bunched her shirt up to right under her breasts and was grazing his fingers up her ribs when her phone rang.

His hand froze on her stomach just shy of grabbing her breast as the unexpected ringing broke the spell they had been under. He was very tempted to tell her to just ignore it and continue with what they had been doing but he knew better, it could be a case.

He prayed it wasn't.

Similar thoughts were going through Jane's head but she knew she had to answer.

She rolled out from under him, and went looking for her phone. Joe sat up and sighed as he watched her answer her phone.

"Rizzoli" The scowl that had been on her face softened as she heard her father's voice on the other end of the line. "Hi daddy."

Joe watched her as Jane wandered a few feet away from where she had been standing, unconsciously putting space between them to talk to her father. He could still hear her end of the conversation but didn't want her to feel like he was eavesdropping so he tried to focus on something else.

"Yeah dad I know, I was just about to turn on the game."

Although he was trying not to listen in, when he heard her mention the game he knew that they weren't going to continue where they left off after her call ended. Resigned to his fate of bad luck he reached for his shirt to put back on. He figured this must be payback for all the shit he'd put her through over the years. _Ain't Karma a bitch like that? _

"Yes daddy, I will remember to eat something. Tell ma to stop worrying, I can take care of myself. I promise. "

At her mention of food Joe's stomach growled and she turned around to throw him a concerned look.

"Ok daddy, thanks for calling. I love you too. Bye."

Jane hung up the phone and refocused her attention on Joe. She was mildly disappointed to see his shirt back on but figured it was for the best. They had been getting a little out of hand.

"Um, so how about we order some pizza and watch the game? It's kind of a thing with my family that if we all don't watch the game when we play the Yankees somehow we curse the team and we end up losing."

"Are you serious?"

"YES! Last year they were winning by 4 runs then I got called out during the fourth inning and they ended up _losing_ the game by _5_ runs. Frankie still blames me for that one."

While he really had other plans on his mind that didn't involve baseball or food, he figured now was not the time to indulge himself. "Alright, pizza and baseball it is then." He conceded.

"Thank you." Jane leaned over the back of the couch and gave him a quick kiss. "What do you want on your pie?"

"Sausage and peppers?"

"What no onions?" she teased

"You still gonna kiss me with onion breath?"

"You'll just have to find out won't you? I'll call it in."

Twenty minutes later they were settled on the couch with a couple of beers and the box of pizza between them while Jane yelled at the TV. On any other night Joe would have considered his situation heaven. He had his girl (yes, he now considered Jane _his_), a really good pizza and the Red Sox were kicking the Yankee's asses. Any citizen of Boston would be happy with just that last circumstance, but that only reminded him that come tomorrow morning, he would no longer _be_ a resident of Boston, or even Massachusetts. That was definitely a somber thought.

At the next commercial break Jane noticed his subdued attitude. "Hey what's up? You look awfully glum considering we're up 3 runs."

"Jane, do you really think we can handle this?"

"What the game? Of course we can…" Joe cut her off "No, not the game, us."

"Oh, that." Jane took a moment to consider his question. "Well it's not very convenient for either of us and it's sure as hell not gonna be easy but I think we have to at least try…Unless you're saying you just want to walk away?" she asked unsure of his sudden doubts.

"God no! I've been waiting since like seventh grade for this. I just want to make sure you honestly think we can somehow make this work."

"Like I said, it's not gonna be easy but if we both want it to, it'll work. We'll find a way to make it work." Jane hoped her words were enough reassurance, she didn't know what else to do.

Pacified by her apparent commitment to their budding relationship, he managed to enjoy the rest of the game with Jane at his side. By the time the last out was made and the Red Sox were officially declared the winner it was getting late and Jane had a feeling Joe was trying to figure out how to make his exit.

He was reluctant to go but it was either leave now and make it a little easier for both of them, or ask to stay the night and make it even harder for them tomorrow morning. He wasn't positive that if he did spend the night with her (even if they were only sleeping) that he'd have the will power or the desire to leave her at all.

With his mind made up Joe grudgingly got up off the couch.

Jane knew this moment was coming but she had hoped if she ignored it long enough it would never actually get there. It seemed as though all of her hoping was for naught as she watched Joe slowly make his way toward her door and put on his now mostly dry shoes.

They met at the door with matching grave faces and considered one another for a moment.

Joe was the first to break the silence. "You'll call right? Or answer, if I call you?"

"Of course I will, you dope. As long as I'm physically able to, barring any emergencies or cases that might distract me, I will always answer or try to call you." Her smile was as comforting to him as her words and he accepted it as a suitable pledge to keep in touch.

They came together for a final kiss good bye before Joe disappeared behind her door with a longing glance back over his shoulder.

Jane retreated back to her living room to see if anything decent was on TV. After cleaning up the empty bottles and putting the leftover pizza in her fridge she picked up her dog and brought her to the couch with her. "What the hell did I just get myself into girl?" she asked the dog

The dog happily licked her face in response and Jane couldn't help but smile.

Later when she was getting ready for bed she noticed that Joe had left his clothes hanging on her shower curtain rod. She grabbed the dry undershirt and button down and brought them back into her bedroom with her, leaving the still slightly damp pants to finish drying.

She crawled into bed wearing the only things she had left of him and attempted to sleep, his scent still lingering in her nose.

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**A/N** So that's it for now, should anyone out there enjoy this, let me know and I'll keep it going. I'd love to get some feedback (good or bad) if you have a chance and even if you don't, thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**So here we go again, back by popular demand (or really a few polite requests). The rest of this story is going to be broken down by weeks or months at a time and focusing on bits and pieces of conversations and their everyday lives in an attempt to show how they interact with each other apart and how their relationship naturally progresses as a result of those interactions. The next chapter will start on the episode tags and they will continue as the show goes on in the following chapters. I still don't have a beta so I apologize for any and all mistakes. I tried to keep them true to character so let me know what you all think if I was successful or not. I also tried to make this chapter longer to make up for the fact that I won't be able to update next week because I will be on vacation, so sorry but I will be back to a more regular updating schedule the week after. Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers! This chapter is dedicated to leebug1219 in honor of being my first review, Thank you all again and enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Rizzoli and Isles, I just like to play in their sandbox for fun. **

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The first week apart was the hardest.

Joe had called when he got settled in D.C. to let her know he had made it alright but their conversation got cut short by a case. He understood the job and its demands, but he still wasn't very happy about it. Especially now that he wouldn't be there working with her.

Not that he was particularly happy with his own job at the moment. Relocating him so far away from Jane hadn't endeared it to him at all, but it _had_ been the final push they needed to break down their walls and admit they liked each other after so long, and it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Maybe he owed the job a thing or two, at least enough to give it a chance.

Later that same night when he was trying to unpack and organize his new space Jane had called him back. He picked up after glancing at his caller ID and smiled for the first time that day.

"Hey babe, how's your case going?" The endearment slipped out accidentally but Jane either didn't notice, or didn't mind, because she immediately started talking.

"Ugh, terrible. It's just so frustrating because no one's willing to cooperate with us. Like trying to solve a murder is no big deal." Jane huffed into the phone. She was just returning to her apartment on her end of things. "But that's not why I called. How is D.C? Everything you hoped it'd be and more?" She flopped down on her couch with a bottle of beer and her cell phone pressed to her ear.

"I wish. So far the only things it's been are hot, crowded and lonely. I've only really gotten to see the Dulles Airport and my new apartment. Which by the way has a bed big enough for two should you have some vacation time coming up." He figured if he could take her mind off the case for a bit it would be better for both of them.

"Oh yeah? Well aren't we cocky today Mr. Homeland Security liaison." Jane chuckled into the phone.

"Well I have a right to be cocky don't I?"

"Do you? What's your secret?" She asked suspiciously

"I have a beautiful woman on the phone with me whom I somehow convinced to be my girl even though we're 400 miles apart. I think that merits a few cocky points doesn't it?" He answered sincerely.

"Is that what I agreed to? Here I thought I was just getting a pen pal/gab buddy with benefits. You really wanna make it official don't you?"

"I'm not about to send out professional memos or post it on facebook, but personally I like the idea of having someone to talk to at the end of the day and share my life with. Don't you?"

"I guess it is kinda nice. I could get used to keeping you around."

"Well thank you for that honor your majesty. I'd hate to burden you with my company."

"Hey I'm trying here; you probably should have picked up on the fact that I'm better at dodging relationships than I am at keeping them. It's a defense mechanism from years and years of set ups by my mother." Jane defended herself.

"I know, and I appreciate the effort but don't forget that I just happen to be one of those mother arranged set ups and I'd like to be the last one for the foreseeable future if that's alright with you."

Jane smiled into the phone even though she knew Joe couldn't see it "I think I'd be ok with that." Joe could hear the smile in her voice and mirrored her.

"But that means you expect me to tell my mother…alone. Somehow I doubt she's going to believe me, especially considering you left and all. Can't we just keep it to our selves for now?" Jane groaned.

"As long as you don't end up on another surprise dinner date in that little black dress of yours in the mean time I guess it could wait."

"Why, what's the matter Joe, you don't like sharing with others? I thought you said _I_ was the one that couldn't get along with people." She teased.

"If it's to my benefit I'm willing to share just about anything; just not my women, and especially not you. Thankfully, that's not part of the job description in my line of work at present. And just so we're clear, I expect to see you in that dress again at some point for real next time. No second guessing ourselves before dinner even starts."

"If you're nice to me I suppose I can be persuaded to pull it back out again for an evening." Jane hauled herself up from the couch when she finished her beer and wandered into her room to change into something more comfortable while they wound down for the night. She grabbed a pair of blue cotton shorts, a white tank top and Joe's abandoned button down she'd worn to bed last night. She changed as he carried on the conversation.

"I can do nice; I can also do _very_ nice or _extremely _niceif that will get me any extra points…Maybe even enough to let me take it off you at the end of the night?" Joe speculated.

"What am I, an R rated carnival game?" She finished changing her shirt before continuing. "We'll see about that one. Besides, you'd have to rack up a whole hell of a lot of points before you earn _that_ as a prize. You better start sucking up buddy."

"Yes ma'am." He responded immediately

"So when do you start the new job?" She tossed out at him, eager to change the subject.

Joe sighed before answering "Tomorrow morning. They didn't give me much time to get settled here. Most of my furniture and stuff is actually still in Boston at my apartment; I had to leave so quickly I couldn't arrange to take it with me or leave it in storage. I guess they really needed the position filled immediately."

"What's gonna happen to your stuff then?" Jane asked concerned. She settled down on her bed on top of the covers, head on her pillows.

"I'll have to find a place to put the big stuff in storage; the little stuff can go wherever it can fit. I'm paid up on rent for the next month and a half so I have some time to make arrangements but I definitely think that will warrant a trip back home if that's of any interest to you."

"Oh I think it just might be. How long do you think you can get off to come back?" Jane asked, mentally calculating how many vacations days she could try to cash in to have some extra time with him.

"If I can pass it off as a business trip maybe a few days. I'm not really sure about Homeland Security's vacation policy yet." He supplied in answer.

"Well if you need it, I have some extra room in my apartment so you could keep some of your stuff here…You know if you can't find somewhere else to fit it all." Jane realized she was blushing half way through her sentence. It was as close to asking a man to move in with her as she'd ever come.

"You sure you're ok with that?" Joe double checked before he got his hopes up too high.

"Yeah, if we're really gonna try this then I want you to feel like you can trust me. That I'm in this with you, even if I'm not very good at it sometimes."

"I'd like that Jane, I'd like that a lot."

There was a beat of silence while they both let the implications of that last exchange sink in.

Joe took the initiative to break the silence before it crossed that line from comfortable to awkward.

"So how was your day? Other than the case I mean."

"Which part do you want to hear about? The part about me waking up knowing that you were nearly 500 miles away or the 10 minutes I took to get lunch between trying to chase people down? Because those are really the only non-case related things I did today besides talking to you."

"Hmm maybe we should talk about something else."

"Like what? My life isn't that interesting and you just moved. What else is there to really talk about at this point? The weather?"

"How about what you're wearing? What _are_ you wearing tonight detective?" he tried smooth talking her.

"Oh no, I'm not playing that game with you Joey. I am way too tired to be imaginative right now and if I told you what I was actually wearing it would totally ruin the effect you're going for anyway."

"It can't be that bad. You aren't walkin' around with bunny slippers in granny panties and a muumuu are you?"

"What? No! Where the hell do you come up with this stuff?" She asked scandalized at the mere thought.

"Well see, then it can't possibly be that bad. So give it up Jane. You know I'm not gonna leave you alone till you tell me"

"Arg, you're incorrigible you know that? Why must you always torment me?"

"It's what I do best, and I've had years and years of experience so it's second nature. Now inquiring minds still want to know, so I'll ask you again. What are you wearing tonight Jane?"

"Fine, if it it'll make you stop I'll tell you, but don't say I didn't warn you when it doesn't have the desired effect you were looking for."

She mumbled something into the phone that despite Joe's best efforts to comprehend just sounded like jumbled nonsense.

"What was that Jane? I think you need to speak up." He teased

"I said a lot of blue cotton, just some shorts, a tank top and…your shirt." She nearly whispered into the phone.

His heart swelled a little at the thought of her strutting around her apartment in his clothes.

"I left them there on purpose you know." Joe admitted shyly.

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" Jane couldn't help but smile

"I had hoped that they would be something for you to remember me by. Or worst case scenario they would be a reason to see you again even if you suddenly decided that you weren't ready for this."

"Well I think your master plan worked, I remember you just fine." Jane purposely ignored the second half of that last statement. She wasn't entirely sure she _was_ ready for this but she wasn't the type to broadcast her insecurities to anyone.

"I miss you already." Jane added quietly after burying her nose in his shirt and inhaling deeply.

"I know, I miss you too Jane, you have no idea how much. I wish we didn't have to be so far apart right now but we were both so stubborn and wasted so much time…"

"I know, you don't have to remind me how much of a pain in the ass I can be. I have my mother to remind me of that any time I might forget. You sometimes forget how Italian I really am." She tried to lighten to tone of conversation.

"You're not a pain in the ass. You're just strong willed." Joe corrected.

"To most men those terms are synonymous." Jane informed him before muffling a yawn behind her hand in hopes that he wouldn't hear it.

"I guess it's a good thing I'm not most men then isn't it?" Joe chuckled across the line "It's part of what makes you so strong, it's who you are and why you are such an amazing person. It's also part of the reason I like you so much Jane. You don't take shit from anyone and you demand respect from everyone you meet. You are the lone woman in the boy's only club and you don't even flinch. You're special." He complimented her

"And you're a suck up. Starting to bank some points early in the game?"

"Gotta start somewhere, apparently I have a long way to go. But don't worry; I'm keeping my eyes on the prize." Joe smirked into the phone.

"Good, I like a man who knows what he wants."

"Oh believe me; I know _exactly_ what I want. I just hope that it's something that a certain gorgeous Boston homicide detective would also want."

"I'm sure she can be persuaded. She's very easily swayed with the right motivation." Jane supplied, extremely appreciative of the fact that the blush that had started spreading across her cheeks at his compliment would not be visible over a phone line.

Joe was suddenly very intrigued. "And what might that be?"

"Attractive men and good food have always worked wonders in the past." She admitted cheekily

"Have they now? How about the promise of great sex?" Joe shot back.

"That always seems to be the expectation but it's so very rarely the case. Though if you could somehow guarantee it, it's probably the best kinda motivation there is."

Joe's voice dropped a few decibels "Consider it guaranteed."

Jane felt a tingle race down her spine at his words and let out a low groan. His voice was wreaking havoc on her weary and frayed senses even though it had only been three words. The promise behind those words suddenly had Jane's blood boiling.

She really hoped he could walk the walk just as well as he talked the talk.

"God this is so unfair." Jane whined.

"I know baby, but there isn't anything we can do about it at the moment." He soothed.

This time Jane did catch the term of endearment, but it felt so natural coming from him that it didn't deter her. An unexpected smile crept across her face.

She didn't usually allow such terms of affection in relationships. The last man that had tried to call her annoyingly cute names made the mistake of calling her kitten once and she'd punched him in the face so hard she'd given him a black eye and a bloody nose.

Jane didn't do _cute_, but she was willing to give _sweet_ a try as long as it stayed between the two of them.

She was about to respond when suddenly another more obvious yawn escaped without warning.

Joe heard her second yawn across the phone line and smiled. "Hey sleepyhead you're tired, why don't you go eat something if you haven't already and then head off to bed?"

"I'm too tired to move and I'm already in bed. Food can wait until tomorrow. Are you sure you don't mind me nodding off on you? I can stay up later if you want to talk some more." Jane tried to offer.

"Nah it's ok. You get some rest and call me tomorrow if you get a break in the case."

"Ok I'll try, but I can't promise you anything. You should probably be heading to bed soon anyway mister. You have a big day tomorrow with Homeland Security."

"I know I'll try. It's just really lonely being in a new place with unfamiliar stuff and not knowing anyone around here yet you know?" Joe sighed forlornly. "You not being here also doesn't help much."

"Yeah I know how what you mean, you were only here for a few hours but it already feels different without you. Just focus on the job. I'm sure you'll meet tons of new people tomorrow then you'll forget all about Boston and you'll be fine."

"I'd never forget Boston as long as you're still there Jane." Joe responded adamantly.

Jane yawned again before making her final goodbyes for the night "I have no doubt that you wouldn't. Good night Joe, I miss you. Good luck tomorrow."

"Good night Jane, sweet dreams."

Thirty seconds after her phone was closed and back on her nightstand Jane was asleep.

Several states away Joe lingered awake in his new apartment thinking of the woman he wished was sleeping by his side.

It wasn't until nearly 3 hours later he finally drifted off to sleep alone.

* * *

The next morning Joe awoke to a text message on his phone. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes before rolling over to check the message.

_**Hey you, good luck today! Knock 'em dead Tiger. I miss you. XOXO**_

The smile that spread across his face stayed with him the whole day.

* * *

The following days were filled with brief voicemails and passing text messages but nothing quite filled the void of their absences like talking directly to each other.

It wasn't until three days later that he actually managed to catch her on the phone again for a proper conversation.

He hit speed dial 3 on his cell late on Thursday evening and listened to the line ring twice before finally hearing the voice he'd been craving to hear in person since the weekend.

"Rizzoli" She sounded tired and mildly annoyed.

"Hey babe." Her demeanor shifted the second her brain registered who was on the other side

"Joe." She breathed an audible sigh of relief "God I'm so glad it's you."

"Aw ya miss me?"

"Maybe…"

"I haven't heard from you in almost 4 days and all I get is a maybe?"

"Ok yes, I miss you. More than I thought I would. Are you happy now?"

"Ecstatic." The silly grin Jane knew that would be splashed over Joe's face while he answered made her crack her own smile.

"Hey, I'm sorry I've been so evasive lately, it was just a really tough case and suspects kept popping up all over the place. It was so hectic around here I'm not even sure I've had more than 5 hours of sleep in the last 3 days."

"I'm assuming since you finally found a second to breathe that you closed the case?"

"Yeah, Korsak got an anonymous tip called in so Frost and I went to check it out and found our guy in an abandoned building. We picked him up, cracked him like a glass window then left him in the capable hands of Boston's finest to handle the rest."

"Sounds like a job well done."

"Yeah I guess it was. I just wish we could have found him a few days earlier. Would have saved us a lot of time and effort."

"They can't all be easy Jane; you know you can't control the flow of information."

"Yeah, yeah, I know the story. Enough about me; how is the new job?

"Not so bad actually, there are a lot of decent people here, not all as irritating as I expected. The work itself isn't too much different than what I'm used to either. I don't think it'll be too much trouble to adjust."

"You do have your very own irritating streak, you should fit right in." She teased "So it was a better first day then last time then?"

"Well nobody was up my ass this time around over leaked information so I'd count it in the win column." He paused a second to recall his last first day on the job "God that day was Hell" referring of course to the supposed reappearance of Boston Strangler.

"I wasn't too pleased with it either if I recall correctly. My new boss was kind of an asshole." She added.

"Hey I apologized for that, or I tried to at least. Someone wasn't very receptive to my attempts."

"Maybe I would have been if you hadn't made it your personal mission to make my job and my life miserable. You were an egotistical and pompous ass Joe and you did it on purpose."

"I know it wasn't one of my shining moments but what did you want me to do Jane? I was under a lot of pressure from all sides to get the case closed and I was the brand new commanding officer of the unit, everyone was looking to me to lead and get the case solved as quickly and efficiently as possible. The media was having a field day with it."

"You don't have to remind me Joe, I was there! Don't forget that I was the one that actually worked that case and made the connections that solved it and made the arrest. Your damn task force was a nice picture op for the media but you guys didn't do shit besides take all the glory without doin' any of the legwork." She reminded him bitterly.

"That's not how it was Jane..."

"Like hell it was!" Jane cut him off "It was all about the damn politics. It was _my _case and you had that half wit Crow and those other pansy assholes to parade around making arrests whenever _we_ made a break in the case. Then you had to go and throw Frankie into the middle of everything."

"I hope you realize that I did that for you."

"Oh well in that case, let me be the first to thank you for trying to turn my little brother into a brass kisser. That's a great way to jump start his career."

"That's not why I did it Jane, I know how much Frankie wants to make detective. I put him on a high profile case with me so he'd get a big arrest on his record and maybe get some recognition, so you could be proud of him."

"I'm his big sister damn it, I'm always gonna be proud of him you idiot! He doesn't need special treatment from higher up. He's a Rizzoli, and we work hard for what we want and we earn it fair and square." Jane was fuming and wasn't sure how much more of this conversation she could take.

"Jane please, take a deep breath and try to calm down. I don't want to fight with you! I apologized once and I'll keep apologizing until the day I die if that will make things better but I can't change the past. What's done is done and no matter how much I regret everything that I screwed up, and believe me I do, it's all behind us now."

The silence that followed his confession dragged on for longer than it should have.

"Look, I don't want to live in the past Jane, I've done plenty of things I'm not proud of and I'm sure you have too but I'm trying to think of the future now. I want you in mine and I hope that you'll let me have a place in yours too. Can you please let this go?"

Jane had to take a couple deep breaths in and out to let the anger dissipate before she could answer him without ripping his head off.

"I'm willing to let bygones be bygones as long as you promise me you will never do something like that to me or anyone else again. Never. Are we clear?"

"Crystal." Joe hadn't realized how much bitterness and resentment she had built up because of his actions. It was a wonder she was even still talking to him.

"Good. Now tell me I'm pretty and for God's sake pick a new topic. Despite everything I miss your voice so you better have something else to say.

"You're perfect Jane; you already know you're beautiful but I'll keep telling you everyday until you believe me." He replied earnestly

As per Jane's request he did keep talking, for almost 2 hours about everything he could think of.

As the conversation wound down Jane promised to call him the next day when she got off work before reminding him she missed him and said good night.

Joe returned the sentiment and let out a giant sigh of relief.

They had just had their first real tiff as a couple. Luckily it seemed they both survived it and their building relationship managed to make it through it with only a few scratches but otherwise still intact. It was a good night.

Joe spent the rest of his time before he fell asleep plotting a surprise for Jane that would hopefully get him back into her good graces.

* * *

Friday turned out to be an agonizingly boring day of paperwork for Jane. It was a necessary evil of the job but that didn't mean she had to like it.

Sometime a little after noon she decided it was time for a break. She figured she'd go down to autopsy and see if Maura wanted to get lunch with her.

She tried to get her partner's attention "Hey Frost"

"Huh?" Frost looked up from the report he'd been typing.

"I'm gonna go see if the Doc wants to get lunch, you in?"

"Nah, thanks though. I'm supposed to be meeting a buddy from another unit in a few. Say hi to the Doc for me. "

"Alright, see ya later then." She called out over her shoulder as she walked out of the office.

Frost made a quick call then followed her out the door a minute later.

Once she got to the autopsy labs however, she found the space empty and Maura no where in sight.

Annoyed for missing her, Jane went to grab her phone to call her and see where she had wandered off to when she realized that she had left her phone upstairs on her desk. She trudged back upstairs and made a bee line for her desk but stopped dead in her tracks 2 feet from the piece of furniture.

Sitting right in front of her computer was a paper take out bag and an empty glass Coke bottle that had been turned into a makeshift vase with a single flower sticking out the top. It was predominantly orange but faded into a dark pink and yellow towards the middle and was covered in small dark spots.

Jane scanned the room for any likely signs of who had delivered them but didn't come up with any probable suspects.

She crept closer to her desk and stuck her nose in the lone flower. A grin blossomed over her face.

Without even taking anything out of the bag she knew who it was from. It was incredibly cliché but so unexpected and sweet that she had to laugh. A tiger lily from her Tiger.

Inside the bag she found a bottle of water, a sandwich from the deli down the street, a chocolate chip cookie and a folded over note that looked like it had been printed from a computer.

_**Hey Beautiful, I know you always forget to eat so I made it easy for you today. Forgive me for being an ass in the past? Have a good day and I miss you. –J **_

Jane had her phone out and was dialing before she even finished reading the note.

In a nondescript office building in D.C. Joe Grant was busy working on some logistics for a joint threat assessment test that was to be held in conjunction with the FBI. It was a rather routine procedure but still had to be planned out.

He glanced at the clock on his computer and noticed it was about time for a lunch break. He was just gathering his things together and on his way out the door when his phone started ringing. It rang once more before he answered it in what he liked to call his "big boy" voice.

"Grant"

"Hey there Tiger, I found your little surprise."

"Yeah? How did ya like it?" He had been expecting this call all morning; he sat back down in his chair.

"I loved it, I don't know how you managed it but thank you. That was the most thoughtful thing a guy has done for me in a very long time."

"I have my ways." He would definitely owe his buddy in the drug unit a favor now. In his opinion though, it was totally worth it. "And you're very welcome."

"But how did you know when I wasn't gonna be at my desk? You suddenly a psychic or something?"

"A good magician never reveals all his secrets. Plus it keeps you on your toes, helps you hone those detective skills of yours."

"As if the job doesn't do that enough." She rolled her eyes at him despite the fact she knew he couldn't see her.

A few hallways away a man and fellow Homeland Security employee by the name of Eddie Lattimer was on his way to ask the new guy if he wanted to have lunch with him. He had taken a liking to him when they had been introduced earlier that week and they had struck up an easy friendship. He knew what it was like being the new guy in the city and was willing to show him around a bit until he got his feet under himself.

Joe's office door was open so he knocked on the door frame and popped his head in the door.

"Hey Joe you want to grab some lunch? I'm starving."

Once he realized Joe was on the phone he lowered his voice. "Oops sorry man, I didn't know you where busy." He was about to make his retreat when Joe held up his pointer finger to him, the universal sign for hold on.

"Hey babe could you hold on a second." Joe put a hand over his phone to address his visitor.

"Hey Eddie, what were you after?"

"Just lunch, but if you're busy I can come back later." He gestured to the obvious phone call he was interrupting.

"Just give me a minute and I'll be ready."

Joe refocused on his cell phone. "Sorry about that, looks like I have lunch plans now too."

"Oh good, so you're playing nicely with the other girls and boys then?" Jane taunted

"Yes, I'm a very nice guy as you may recall."

"I can't be sure anymore, it's been nearly a week now since I've seen you, you might have changed. If that's the case then I can't vouch for you."

"I don't think people can change _that _quickly." He retorted

"I guess we'll never know will we?" Jane concluded. "Alright, go eat lunch, I'm gonna go track down Maura and get her to come eat with me here."

"Yes ma'am. Call me later when you get off work?"

"If I can."

"Ok then, I miss you. Goodbye Jane."

"I miss you too Joe, thanks again for the surprise, bye."

Joe hung up and turned is attention to Eddie who had been leaning against the doorframe waiting.

"So" he began "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

Joe waved his hand at him in a dismissive gesture "Nah, she's on her lunch break too, she'll call me back later."

"Wife?" He guessed, glancing at Joe's left hand for confirmation

"Nope."

"Ah, you got yourself a lady friend then." Eddie deduced. "What's her name?"

"What are you my parents? Come on let's go before the lunch crowds get too unreasonable." Joe herded Eddie out of his office and closed the door behind him. He didn't like Eddie's sudden interest in his personal life.

"Alright, alright we're going." Eddie conceded.

Joe spent the next hour with Eddie dodging questions about Jane.

* * *

When Saturday night rolled around Joe found himself out at a local bar with a few of the guys from work. They were calling it the welcoming committee and assured him that all the new guys on their floor got the same reception as a sign of good faith. How anyone treated him after tonight was decided upon how well he fit in and how little he screwed up.

All together there were 5 of them crammed together in one corner of the bar throwing back beers and generally enjoying themselves.

Eddie and Max, a former detective from Baltimore turned Homeland Security employee had vacated their seats to get the next round of drinks when Tony and Patrick shifted to slide into the empty seats next to Joe.

Tony was a good guy, joined the Marines right out of school and served for 8 years before an unlucky blast of shrapnel burst one of his kidneys and pulled him from active duty. He relocated to D.C. and took on his position at Homeland Security and had been there ever since. If he couldn't be out on the front lines protecting his country he wanted to do all he could from behind the scenes.

Joe had never been in the armed forces but he appreciated the kind of man Tony was, even if he was a little bit of a skirt chaser.

Patrick was an all around American, born and bred. Raised in a little town in Virginia, played baseball and football in college and settled down In Washington with his wife Teresa and their three kids. He was as down to earth as a person could be.

Patrick was a little bit of a heart breaker with the ladies as well but not at all for the same reasons. Blonde haired and blue eyed, with a charming smile and matching personality he often got a lot of attention from the opposite sex, but he was a southern gentleman and loved his wife and family with a passion. He could charm any woman he wanted within a 5 mile radius but he never took it past a friendly chat and a polite decline of any phone numbers with a flash of his wedding ring.

It didn't take Tony and Patrick very long to get Joe chatting like old friends. They had only been conversing for a few minutes when something caught Tony's eye. Joe glanced over to see what had stolen his attention and his eyes landed on a tall shapely blonde that was sitting a few tables away with a red head and a brunette, all equally stunning. The blonde seemed to be intently watching their table and eyeing someone up.

"Five bucks says I can get her number." Tony claimed as soon as the blonde got up from her table and started making her way towards them.

"Ten says she's not even after you." Joe shot back, exchanging glances with Patrick.

Patrick merely smiled and laughed good naturedly at the bet.

Tony turned his full attention to the approaching female. "You're on."

2 minutes later Tony was handing over a ten dollar bill to a still laughing Patrick while Joe stood a few feet away politely conversing with the woman who had identified herself as Olivia.

Tony grudgingly observed the friendly exchange half heartedly and didn't pay much attention when she glanced back at the table a few times. He was not surprised when she slipped him a napkin with some writing on it, no doubt her phone number. She walked back to her table and Joe returned to his own, a huge grin plastered on his face.

"You owe me twenty bucks." Joe said in lieu of a greeting

"I thought you said the bet was ten?"

"It was ten but I'm adding a surcharge." Joe said as he slid the napkin across to Tony "consider it a delivery fee"

"What?"

"I'm not gonna use it so I talked her into giving you a shot, don't screw it up man, she's hot."

Tony looked at Joe incredulously while he handed him a twenty. "Are you gay or something? Cause I know you aren't married"

"No, I'm not married" he downed the last of his beer "but I'm not single either." Joe explained.

Patrick caught on before Tony did.

Patrick grinned admirably. "So you found yourself a girl around here already? That was pretty fast."

"Nah, she's actually back in Boston but just because she isn't here with me doesn't mean I don't care about her. She'd have my balls in a vice if she thought I was picking up strange women in bars."

"So she's one of those high maintenance, controlling types? You should have just dumped her when you moved."

"She's not controlling or high maintenance, she's strong, but actually she's probably less of a diva than you are" he pointed back at Tony "and about as laid back as you" then pointed at Patrick. "I just have a lot more respect for her than to cheat on her."

Max and Eddie chose that moment to return to the table with another round of drinks.

Max passed around the new bottles. "Sorry for the delay but the bartender was hot and I had to at least give it try."

"Speaking of hot women…who was that you were talking to Joe? Your mystery phone lady isn't enough for you?" Eddie teased

"Hey don't go tarnishing my good name already, I'm spoken for and I'm an honest kind of guy. I was just trying to help this hopeless guy out." Joe said motioning to Tony with a head nod.

Tony acknowledged them by showcasing the napkin with Olivia's name and number clearly displayed. "He's good" he confirmed.

"Oh how nice of you, he definitely needs the help" Max added

"So who is it that you have so much respect for?" Eddie questioned as he took a sip of his beer.

Tony answered for him "His lady friend who he left back in Boston apparently. Though I still think you should have dumped her. If she wouldn't move with you she can't possibly be worth it."

"Oh so now you feel like sharing? You stonewalled me yesterday when I asked about your mystery lady." Eddie accused

"I'm not breaking up with her ok? I didn't ask her to follow me so she didn't. It's complicated. I'm not sure I'd even want to ask her to follow me here, she loves her job in Boston and I don't think I'd want to be responsible for taking that away from her. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done leaving her there and walking away from her, damn near killed me."

Tony immediately pounced on the chance to rag on him "Aw listen to little Joey, I think he's in love."

"Hey leave the poor guy alone" Patrick jumped to his defense. "There's nothing wrong with falling in love and not wanting to hurt someone you care about. Just because you have no integrity when it comes to women it doesn't mean the rest of us don't. Hell if I had to leave Teresa and the kids that far away I'd be a wreck."

"Thanks man, good to know somebody's got my back." Joe said gratefully.

Max decided to speak up again when his curiosity get the better of him. "So are we ever going to meet this girl? Or at least get a name?"

Joe contemplated for a moment before deciding how much information he was will to divulge to them all. "Her name's Jane. Maybe when she comes down to see me I'll introduce you…but don't expect it to be a very long introduction 'cause if she's here then there are way more important things I'd like to be doing with her than hanging around with you guys. No offense, but you guys just aren't as pretty."

The table broke out in hearty laughter which was interrupted by an irritating electronic ringing not even 30 seconds later.

Each of them fumbled through their pockets in search for the offending phone. One by one they all pulled out silent devices until Joe finally tugged his phone from his pants pocket and found it to be the guilty party. There was only one person that would be calling him this late on a Saturday night.

"Speak of the Devil gentlemen, seems as though I have some important business to attend to." He held up the ringing phone in display before getting up from his seat and wandering over to a relatively unoccupied corner.

"Hey Babe" It had become his accustomed greeting for her and she hadn't protested it yet. He took that as a good sign.

"Hey you, I was just calling for our nightly rendezvous." Jane heard voices and very faint music in the background. "I'm not interrupting anything am I? It sounds kind of busy wherever you are."

"Yeah the welcoming committee dragged me out to the bar for a few drinks and this place isn't exactly empty."

"Well I hope you guys aren't getting too rowdy, the last thing you need is to get thrown out of a bar or arrested. I don't think you can talk your way out of that down there like you could in Boston, nobody knows you yet. And I'm sure that would go over so nicely with the new job."

"Nah we aren't being that rambunctious, just the usual shenanigans. You know loud voices, cat calls, shootin' the breeze; it's all in good fun."

"I hope you weren't partaking in those cat calls." Jane speculated

"No ma'am, but without even trying I did manage to score a phone number, which I promptly passed along to one of the other guys at the table." Joe proudly informed her.

"So you made it clear that you aren't available to her right? Because this long distance thing was your idea and if you expect me to take it seriously I need to know I don't have to worry about you getting picked up by random women in bars. It's not that I don't trust you, I mean I really have no reason not to, but you may have noticed that I don't exactly share well with others."

"Yeah I had a hunch that may be the case. I promise you don't have to worry; I set her straight and then set her up with one of the guys. Even made twenty bucks from the deal." Joe chuckled for a second in memory of the event. "Of course that did raise a few questions with the guys though so I have to thank you for conveniently timing your call to get me away from being grilled about you any further."

"Is that like the men's version of 'girl talk'? I thought you guys usually just sat around drinking beer, watching women and making lewd jokes with each other."

"Those are actually the plans for tomorrow night; we thought we'd try something different tonight, you know, shake things up a bit." Joe mockingly countered her.

"Well I can tell you're otherwise occupied. I just wanted to call and catch up but I'll be up for a while longer. I have stuff around the apartment that I've been putting off doing and what better time then a Saturday night right?"

"I know it's always been my favorite time to do laundry."

Jane decided his cheeky answer deserved some retaliation. "Right…If only I had a convenient boy friend to distract me and take me out places so I wouldn't be stuck inside on a Saturday night. I wonder where I could find someone like that."

"I know of someplace you can find a guy like that."

"Like that bar down the street from the precinct right? Maura has been bugging me to go out; maybe I should finally take her up on that…"

"Please don't." Joe protested

"What now _you_ don't trust _me_?"

"Of course I trust you, but if I can't be there to see you all dressed up and take you out I don't want any other man to have the privilege either. Call me selfish, but I'd prefer to be able to do that for you at least once before I let a random drunken stranger in a bar oogle you or feel you up."

"That's actually kinda sweet in a really creepy conniving sort of way. Your incredible powers of persuasion have sufficiently weakened me, looks like I'm staying in tonight." Jane conceded.

"Thank God for super powers."

"Alright then, I guess I'll let you go and get back to your boys night out. If you aren't too drunk later give me a call when you get back to your place so I know you aren't dead in a ditch somewhere."

Joe nodded in agreement even though he knew she couldn't see him "I will, I promise. I would hate to make you worry."

"Good to know, now go have fun and I'll start my riveting night of cleaning here."

"Bye babe, have fun with your laundry."

"Always." She answered "Bye Joe."

Joe rejoined his table and spent the rest of the night following Jane's command, enjoying the time out with his new associates.

It was pretty early in the morning when Joe stumbled back through the door to his apartment. He'd had a beer or two more than he usually would and it had gone straight to his head. After stripping down to his boxers he fumbled for his phone in the pocket of his discarded pants to call Jane before he passed out for the night.

He knew it was late so he was fully expecting to just get her voicemail and leave her a message.

When she picked up on the third ring, voice groggy and not entirely awake Joe thought he'd never heard anything cuter.

"Rizzoli" Jane yawned very obviously.

"Go back to sleep baby; I just wanted to let you know I made it home in one piece."

"Back." She corrected drowsily.

His inebriated brain had trouble comprehending "What was that babe?"

"You made it back, not home. You aren't home until you're back in Boston with me where you belong."

Jane hadn't planned to let that thought slip out. Although they were her sincere feelings she hadn't intended to divulge them quite yet. Though now that she had, she felt lighter somehow, happier. She blamed her tired state of mind and his deep calming voice for lulling her into such a peaceful sense of security.

Her proclamation had a certain sobering effect. Even through the buzz of the alcohol Joe knew something important had just transpired. He prayed he'd remember this in the morning.

"I wish I was home with you right now baby. I miss you."

"I miss you too Joey, I want you here with me. When are you coming home?" Jane was slowly nodding off again listening to his soothing voice.

"Soon baby, I'll be home soon. Sleep now, I'll call you tomorrow."

"M'kay, g'night."

"Sweet dreams baby, you're in my heart." Joe heard her breathes even out over the line and surmised she had fallen asleep.

Joe discarded his phone on the bedside table then climbed into bed to finally surrender to the alluring pull of sleep.

He drifted off with an image of him and Jane intimately tangled together in a bed, the Boston skyline peeking in through an open window. He was home, if only in his dreams.

* * *

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed! Thanks for sticking with me and giving me a shot, if you have anything to say (good or bad) to help me along the way feedback is always appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

**And here we go again. Here marks the beginning of episode tags, of course starting with 1x04 She Works Hard For the Money, so if you haven't seen the episode this will spoil the ending for you, sorry. Thank you to all my reviewers out there, I promise as long as you guys keep reviewing i'll keep writing for you. I still don't have a beta so any and all mistakes there may be I apologize for ahead of time, maybe one day i'll find someone crazy enough to beta for me, but that is sadly not today. So I hope you all enjoy and on with the show!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Rizzoli & Isles, nor do I profit from playing make believe with them. **

* * *

Life for them soldiered on as usual regardless of the distance between them. Joe went to work and did his best to serve his country and keep the brass happy. Jane did her best to keep the streets of Boston safe and murderers behind bars.

They established a routine over the following weeks. Generally Jane was the one to call during the week since her schedule was usually the most unpredictable but Joe made an extra effort to call her on the weekends or days she was too overwhelmed with the job to remember to call.

Sometimes they were just short little interludes sandwiched between rough mornings and unfulfilling interviews or tough days at the office and long sleepless nights. A few concerned words reminding her to eat or him to get some sleep, brief little assurances that they had someone that cared about them.

Other times they would spend extended hours talking, reminiscing about the past or venting about a difficult suspect or an especially unpleasant politician that had crossed their paths.

More often than not, one or the other of them ended up calling just to hear the other's voice after a grueling day at the office or out on the streets chasing criminals down. It was always the highlight of those kinds of days, a surefire way to put a smile on their faces.

Most importantly, although it wasn't a common occurrence, when she needed to ground herself for any reason he was better than any drug available either by prescription or on the street.

One such instance occurred on an otherwise run of the mill Tuesday night. Jane had just closed a case that involved a brutally murdered 8 year old girl and another missing little girl that had been abducted and tortured. The scumbag that they finally dragged in and gotten to confess to the deplorable acts had had the balls to laugh in her face about it even as he was hauled out of the interrogation room in cuffs.

Afterwards, Maura eventually convinced her to go out to get something to eat with her in an attempt to get her mind off of things but Jane was uncharacteristically aloof and spent more effort pushing the food around with her fork then actually eating it.

The lack of spunk in her usually boisterous friend frightened Maura a bit; it was very unsettling to see her so detached.

"Jane are you sure you're going to be ok? You're being very quiet tonight."

Jane took a deep breath in and tried to focus her thoughts. "I don't know Maura, I really don't know. I think I need to be alone for a little while to get through this one. I mean she was 8 years old, who does that to a defenseless little girl and gets enjoyment from it?" The grip on her fork tightened until her knuckles started turning white.

"A very sick individual with years of pent up rage." Maura tried to comfort her, to give her any logical explanation she could think of, but logic and reason so often didn't apply to such people. It quickly became apparent certain social interactions were still awkward for her at times, there was a reason she preferred to work with the dead.

"You can't blame yourself Jane; you did everything you could to find him. You got him before he could murder that other little girl and that's the only thing you need to remember about this case. You saved her life and gave her back her parents and her friends. You are the reason she has the opportunity to live her life and grow up to be whatever she wants to be. That is a beautiful thing." Maura tried to emphasize the good she'd done knowing that Jane would still be hung up on the other little girl that she couldn't have possibly saved.

"I don't think I can do this right now Maura, I need to get out of here, clear my head. Do you mind if I cut out early?" Jane dropped her fork on the table, her napkin joining it a second later. She needed to escape to someplace safe and quiet.

"I can come over if you want; you know hang out for a bit, do some female bonding. Oh we can watch that movie you told me about last week and eat ice cream."

Jane had to smile at the level of concern she was showing and how hard she was trying to be 'normal'. Sometimes Maura was a really good friend despite her unorthodox behaviors. "Thanks for your concern but I have a phone call I need to make and I can't seem to think straight in here right now."

Maura was reluctant to leave her alone but relented once Jane mentioned making a call. At least that meant she was going to talk to _someone_ about this. She hoped whoever it was would have more luck than she did. Maybe it was the mysterious sender of the _Lilium lancifolium_ that had resided on Jane's desk until it wilted, she'd have to ask her about it later.

"Alright, I'll take care of the bill but promise me you'll call if you need to talk. Please?" Maura flagged down their waiter and asked for the check.

"Thank you Maura, I will. I just have to get my head on straight again." Jane rose from her chair and laid a comforting hand over one of Maura's. "I'll see you at work tomorrow." They smiled at each other then Jane disappeared out the door.

She made it back to her apartment before she broke down and called who she really needed to talk to.

Joe was at the office late that night. He had spent the morning in a string of meetings with several higher ups in command that had left him behind on some important paperwork.

Halfway through a report about airport security at Boston Logan International he got interrupted by the incessant ringing of his phone.

He sighed despairingly, no rest for the weary. "Grant"

"Hey Joe" she sounded very hesitant "Do you have a minute?"

She'd never asked to talk before; she'd always just jumped into a conversation. He was instantly on alert.

"Yeah, I always have time for you babe. I'm still at the office but let me just close my door and I'm all yours." After securing the door to provide even just the slightest semblance of privacy he steeled himself for a difficult conversation. Lounging back in his office chair he was prepared to dive in head first.

"So what's up? You sound a little off."

She was flat on her back staring up at the ceiling from her couch as she tried to explain. "Tough case, I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around it."

"You gonna share with the rest of the class or should I start guessing?"

Jane hesitated, she wasn't sure how many details she could handle repeating. "Two 8 year old little girls, one murdered, the other kidnapped and tortured. I let the monster responsible for it all get under my skin, stared me right in the eye and laughed in my face even after he confessed…God I was so pissed, I wanted to shoot him right there in interrogation."

She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts "I just felt so useless, I should have been able to catch him before he grabbed that other little girl but I didn't, now she's gonna have to live the rest of her life jumping at shadows and constantly looking over her shoulder."

Joe was remarkably understanding of her situation. "Jane, I know you, I know what kind of person you are and the one thing that I have 100% absolute unyielding faith in is that you did everything you could to take down that maniac. You're a damn good cop, one I was proud to work with even if it was only short term. You may have issues with people of authority but you know what you need to do and you get it done no matter what. You're allowed to get angry, and you should be angry; it proves you're still human. Those emotions drive you to do your best; you have nothing to feel guilty about. When you stop feeling that way when cases like this pop up that's when you need to start worrying."

"But I should have picked up on something sooner, acted just a little faster. Maybe if I had then that little girl wouldn't have been taken."

"Did you get to her before he could kill her?" He asked carefully

"Barely, but not before he brutalized her and probably scarred her for life."

Joe knew he had to tread carefully; he took extra precaution to pick just the right words to get through to her. "Then you saved her life Jane. Horrible things happen to kids all the time but they are incredibly resilient at that age. I'm not condoning what he did but she's young enough to come back from all of this. She might need some therapy to get over certain things but it's because of you that she is even still alive to recover at all. With her family's support and love she could turn out just fine. You gave her that second chance Jane, you and your actions. You can't blame yourself for someone else's deranged mind, it'll tear you up and spit you back out in little pieces. That's not something that I want to see happen to you, I care about you too much."

Jane listened to his little speech, absorbing it all and letting his words really sink in. She had to admit, although Maura had tried to tell her something very similar, hearing it again from Joe made it all the more believable and reassuring. She wiped a silent tear from her cheek before responding to him.

"You know Maura said almost the same thing, you two sharing notes now?"

"No, but we both care about you Jane so we're probably reading from the same book. She's your best friend; of course she's going to be concerned with your well being. She's a little weird but she can still tell when people close to her are hurting. If I were there I wouldn't be any different." He admitted.

There was a long stretch of silence again while Jane absorbed everything he had said and came to her own conclusion. "I don't know what I did to deserve either of you but I'm glad that you talked me into this relationship thing. I just wish you were actually here with me. Sometimes I really need someone as stubborn as me to knock some sense back into my hard head."

"About that…I hope you don't have anything planned next weekend because if you do I'm afraid you're going to have to cancel it." Joe informed her.

"Why's that?" It was highly unlikely she actually did have any plans but he didn't have to know that.

"I'm coming home Jane."

It was something she'd wanted to hear him say since the day he walked out of her door nearly a month ago. She didn't even try to fight the smile that his confession brought on.

"I managed to arrange for a long weekend and I have every intention of taking you out on that date I promised you. I'm letting you know now that I'm using my boy friend privileges to lay claim on your time for as long as I can while I'm there so you're just gonna have to clear your schedule and deal with it."

"So now I have to drop everything in my life on a whim whenever you tell me to? Who died and made you ruler of the world?" She asked skeptically

"Jane, you know what I mean, please don't make me beg."

"I don't know; I don't recall ever agreeing to this letting you call all the shots stipulation." She was overjoyed to hear he'd be back soon but her happiness was overshadowed by a keen annoyance for his choice of words. Being given direct orders never sat particularly well with her, she didn't respond well to people trying to control her life or telling her what to do.

"Please baby? It's been a month since I've seen you and I miss you."

"Yeah and you'll be missing me a lot longer if you don't cut it out with that demanding bull shit you're trying to pull." A little bit of defiance would do him good. He had to remember she wasn't a push over.

"Ok. I'm sorry about the demanding part. Would you please consider spending some time with me next weekend? I just want to be with you for as long as I can while I have the opportunity. It's harder than I thought it would be talking to you everyday but not being able to see or touch you."

"Since you asked so nicely it just so happens that I don't have anything planned for next weekend. I'll see if I can get some time off or maybe ask if I can leave early to accommodate your demands oh mighty one." Jane teased, diffusing the intensity of the situation.

"You brat. Anyone ever told you you're a pain in the ass? You just wanted to hear me beg didn't you?" He accused.

"You aren't the first, and you sure as hell won't be the last person to call me that, it's pretty much expected of me and I'd hate to disappoint anyone. The begging was a nice little bonus for me though." She didn't do a very good job of muffling her amusement, he heard her giggle as clear as day.

Soon enough her laughter faded and her voice turned brutally serious again "I just don't want you to forget that this is a partnership, not a dictatorship. I have my life and you have yours, together we can compromise but I'm not in the habit of doing something just because someone tells me to, even if we're in a relationship. If I did, I never would have gotten where I am today."

"I know babe, I'm not trying to control your life or order you around, I like to joke about those things but I'm not that kind of guy. Yeah sure, I may occasionally tease you about your personality but I wouldn't change anything about you even if I could. I don't want to tell you how to live your life, I just want to be there to live it with you. Do you think you can let me do that?"

Jane tried to find the words to express herself properly. "I think I can make an effort to try at least. This is all so new for me Joe, I don't handle commitment very well, I'm not used to having someone who knows me and the job as well as you do and is willing to accept them both. It's kinda intimidating, and you know how rarely that happens to me. This is usually the time most men jump ship and head for calmer waters."

"How many times do I have to remind you that I'm not most men? You're worth the effort Jane; I don't care what anyone else in the world says. I'm pretty sure my opinion is the only one that matters here anyway."

"Is it next weekend yet? I have the sudden urge to hug you."

"If I could speed things up a little bit I would, but unfortunately I'm not quite that good a magician yet. I'm still working on my time manipulation skills."

And just like that she was smiling again and as lighthearted as ever. No more resentment or guilt, no doubt to cloud over her, all of it washed away like a receding tide. She was content for the moment and in a little over a week she'd have her man right where she wanted him.

* * *

Wednesday afternoon Jane walked into the bullpen after her lunch break to find a bag of candy waiting for her on her desk. She had a secret weakness for chocolate that she rarely let herself indulge in but the bag of Hershey's Hugs that were currently residing on her desk called out to her. She freed a little piece of chocolate from its tinfoil confines and popped it in her mouth as she searched the vicinity of the bag for a note. She received a text message during her investigation that was all the explanation she needed.

**I miss you baby, I'll be home soon. Then I can give you the real thing all you want. **

Jane still wasn't really sure how he pulled stuff like that off but the mystery was half the fun of the surprise.

* * *

Joe was only mildly surprised when sorting his mail the next day he found a padded envelope addressed to him via overnight FedEx service with a Boston return address. Upon opening the package he dumped out a bag of Hershey's Kisses and its accompanied note.

**I hope these will hold you over until you get back home. I'm counting down the days until I can give you the real deal right back. **

He broke out into a ridiculously happy grin and popped a few of the candies into his mouth. Next week couldn't come soon enough.

* * *

Friday brought more death and mayhem to Jane's life.

After responding to a detection picked up by the shot alert software in the station, Jane and Maura found themselves at the Boston Cambridge University campus.

With her mother tagging along because of her car troubles it was not particularly easy for Jane to do her job. She'd eventually had to ask an officer to take her home while she worked to find Danielle Davis' killer.

It didn't take her long after spending time on that campus and digging into Danielle's life to realize that college life was a whole different world. She'd only gone to junior college before joining the academy and becoming a cop so she never had the chance to experienced ABC parties or dealing with RAs.

That night as she sat outside the campus computer store in her car waiting for it to open she called Joe to pass the time.

It was a little bit later than her normal time to call but Joe was still awake and more than willing to keep her company.

He was feeling a little feisty today, it was his usual day to go to the gym but he'd been so busy lately he hadn't found the time to actually make it out there. He had a bit too much pent up energy and that always lead to mischief. "Hello Janie, I almost thought you had forgotten about me. To what do I owe the pleasure of your call?"

"Oh please Joey, like I could forget about you."

"Cause I'm so handsome and well mannered?" he guessed

"I was thinking arrogant and irritating but I'm willing to compromise and settle with sweet and alluring."

"I'll take it! So what's up babe? How was your day?" He steered back towards their usual conversations.

"Long, we got a new case. This young college kid was shot and left in a stairwell on the BCU campus. Turns out that's where Maura went to school so she was excited to be back and got all nostalgic on me."

"I've been there once or twice for a seminar over the years but when I was that age my parents didn't have the money to send me to a place like that and I didn't have the grades to get in."

She never passed up a chance to tease him when she could "Yeah? I guess that's what happens when you cheat off of other people's tests when you're eight years old."

"I told you I wasn't looking at your paper Jane. It was Catholic school and I was very mature for my age, I noticed certain things early on."

Jane just chuckled "If that's the story you want to go with then alright, but I'm still not buying it."

"It's the truth and that's all that matters. Besides, you're even more fun to look at now so I hardly think you can blame my eight year old self for his great taste. In fact, I think you owe that kid an apology."

"Next time I run across him I'll be sure to let him know that years later I will approve of his misguided attention, right after I beat his pansy little ass up for being a jerk to eight year old me."

"I don't think I approve of you threatening my inner child like that. He's very sensitive." Joe explained.

"Yeah 'cause you still pretty much are just a big kid now aren't ya? Wouldn't want to hurt your feelings or anything."

"Hey, I wear my big boy shoes everyday now; I think I'm past the kid stage."

Jane scoffed at his ridiculous assumption "That all the evidence you got? 'Cause I'm not convinced."

"Well what would convince you otherwise then detective?" Joe was curious to hear what she would come up with.

Her voice was suddenly a little huskier than it had been a second ago. "I think I would need a thorough investigation of certain attributes of your person and maybe a little display of some of the adult talents you claim to have picked up."

"Oh that can be arranged, I would be overjoyed to make sure of it. Just give me a few more days. I have Thursday and Friday off so I was hoping to catch a plane Wednesday night after work and maybe you could pick me up at the airport? It might be kinda late but I don't want to waste any of Thursday flying if I can avoid it, I'd rather spend it with you."

The idea sounded perfect to Jane. "I'll be there, even if I catch a case I'll make sure I can get away for a bit to come get you. I may have to just drop you back at my apartment if I'm stuck working but I think I'd have a pretty good motivation to actually come back home."

"Good I'll book the flight right now then."

He kept her talking well into the wee hours of the morning as he searched for a workable flight at a reasonable price.

Since it was last minute as far as the airlines were concerned the prices were a tad steeper than usual but he was willing to pay a little more if it meant an extra night with Jane. It took awhile and some creative searching on his part, but he finally managed to get a seat on a plane leaving D.C. at 6:30 and with a roughly an hour flight that would put him down in Boston at a respectable time. Maybe even early enough to take Jane out for dinner somewhere.

As soon as the ticket was booked he emailed her a copy of his flight information and also told her over the phone. All that was left to do was wait.

* * *

By Sunday Joe figured that her case would be closed and Jane would have time to talk freely with him again. He hit speed dial 3 and waited for her to pick up.

"Rizzoli" She sounded rather chipper, a far cry from the normally stressed and exhausted woman he usually heard.

"Hey babe, how's your case going? You get the schmuck yet?"

Jane filled him in as she left the hospital after giving Danielle the good news. "Yeah, actually we got him last night, her RA tried to start a gun fight with me and Frost and he lost."

"Not a very smart kid, did he realize that even if he had survived he would have done major time for opening up fire on a police officer?" Kids these days just didn't use their brains.

"I don't think he was really concerned with that, he was more worried about getting away before we nailed him for pimping out girls on his floor in exchange for tuition and killing a professor he'd been blackmailing."

"Sounds like he kept himself pretty busy."

By the time she found her car in the parking lot and got her self settled Jane was ready to just sit down and relax for a bit "Yeah he was a piece of work. I'm kind of relieved that it's over though, being on that campus really got me thinking."

"Oh that's dangerous territory you're getting into there. Better leave some breadcrumbs so you can find your way back."

"Very funny you ass." If he had been within hitting distance she would have for that.

"Ok seriously what could a college campus have you thinking about? Frat parties and underage drinking?"

While she liked to have a good time and enjoyed her alcohol just as much as the next girl, frat parties weren't really what had popped into her mind when she thought of college. "It just made me realize how much I actually missed out on. I didn't go to a real college, so I never got the real college experience. It's not just the frat parties and cramming all night for tests, I didn't get the upscale professors and the extensive library or the access to a whole different world of knowledge. Junior college was pretty much just two more years of high school. I look at Maura and all she knows and just have to wonder how I would have turned out if I had all the resources she did."

"I think you're smart enough just the way you are Jane, you didn't need fancy schools to prove that you're a good person, or a good cop. You're street smart and tough, and you have good instincts, that will get you farther in this town and your profession than anything you could have gotten from a book."

"Yeah, you really think so?"

Joe was quick to reassure her. "Oh yeah. Take Frost for example, I'm not sayin' he's not a good cop but he's young and likes to think he knows a lot. How often do you or Korsak have to explain something to him? We have mentors for a reason Jane, what cops do for a living isn't taught in a classroom; it's learned on the streets. Sure you learn the technical proper procedures from a class but the real skills you need are only gained through experience. Just think of it as you got a jump start in your career because you started 2 years before anybody else your age would have if they'd gone to college."

"When you say it like that it almost makes sense."

"Of course it does, I'm the brains of this operation. I actually _did_ go to college."

It was still a sore subject for Jane. "Don't be a jerk Joey you're getting pretty good with the whole nice guy routine; I'd hate to think you're just faking it all."

"You wound me Jane."

"Wouldn't be the first time." Jane was quick to point out

Joe reluctantly added. "Or the last I would assume."

"I think your ego can handle taking a few knocks."

He rather liked his ego just the way it was. "You know sometimes you're not very nice Jane."

"What can I say Joey? You're easy to hate." Had the admission had any emotion to it, her words probably would have stung. Since it came across as more of a flippant observation than a hard fact it was easier to deflect.

"But even easier to adore I hope?"

His voice was so hopeful Jane didn't have the heart to shoot him down. "Yeah, you are pretty adorable, but you didn't hear that from me."

"My lips are sealed" Joe promised

Their playful conversation was a perfect addition to Jane's only carefree day off that week. His lighthearted banter kept her smiling and in good spirits for the rest of the day, even hours after they'd exchanged goodbyes and hung up. She'd even managed to get a late afternoon run in before family dinner night at her parent's house.

It seemed the more time she spent talking to or thinking about Joe the more she realized she really did want him in her life. She couldn't wait until Wednesday, then she'd have him there with her to do whatever they wanted to do all day in person.

* * *

Monday morning snuck up on Joe all too quickly. It was stressful and entirely too slow going for his liking. He couldn't be certain if it was the actual threat assessment test that they were currently running through or the fact that he was still 2 days away from seeing Jane again that had seemly made time slow to a grueling halt. Either way he wasn't in the best of moods.

Although Joe had been the mastermind behind the operation, luckily for him he had Tony and Patrick on his side helping to make sure things ran as smoothly as possible. He was especially grateful that Patrick was so easy going and sociable with their FBI counterparts.

It wasn't that he hated the FBI, he rarely even had a chance to actually work with most of them but old grudges die hard and there was generally no love between a former city detective and anybody from the feds. He'd spent way too much time trying to avoid treading on federal fingers and toes while dealing with his own cases back in Boston to not be a little jaded about the borough and it's "cooperation".

Joe was perfectly capable of being amicable with the collaborating special agents but he would much rather let someone else do it if at all possible.

Together with the FBI he worked well into the afternoon and was creeping up on evening when they finally wrapped everything up and called it a day. Patrick and Tony who were veterans with this type of operation suggested a few celebratory drinks to the group in general after the long day and were answered with several enthusiastic confirmations.

They all met up at a local bar and grill not too far from their office buildings.

Joe had been introduced to several people both before and during the actual proceedings of the test but many of them had blurred together in his head after the first dozen people. Though he did recognize a few faces that he'd found to be tolerable and even the slightest bit pleasant to be around other than Patrick and Tony of course.

The three of them claimed a table near the back and flagged down a waitress to bring them a round of beers. Patrick motioned a few FBI guys Joe vaguely recognized over to join them at their table.

Three men broke off from the pack of FBI guys huddled around an adjacent table and gladly claimed the remaining chairs around the table.

Patrick gave them all a warm welcome. "Hello gentlemen, it was nice working with you again."

A man with sandy brown hair and blue eyes was quick to answer with a warm smile. "Of course Pat, it's always interesting working with you Homeland Security boys." He slapped Patrick on the back and sent a wave in Tony's general direction.

He turned toward Joe and offered his hand. "Malcolm Granger, friends call me Mal" he introduced "Joe right? It was a little hectic today; I didn't really get to make any proper introductions earlier."

Joe accepted his hand with a firm shake "Yeah, Joe Grant. Nice to meet you." He seemed like a decent guy, he'd been quite helpful throughout the day so Joe was willing to give him a fair shot.

"This bonehead next to me is Josh Donovan" Josh extended his hand obediently for a shake as he nodded a greeting. "Nice to see some new blood around, Pat and Tony are so predictable. Sometimes it's good to mix things up." He laughed

The third man in the party was a bit quieter than the others but still had a generally agreeable sort of air to him. "Gabriel Dean, the guys call me Dean" he'd introduced himself before his colleague could prompt him, accepting Joe's outstretched hand.

The waitress came around with their drinks and the three new arrivals ordered their own choice of beverages.

"Sorry if I was a little short with any of you guys today, I know we are going to be working closely in any future endeavors but grudges die hard. You'll have to give me a chance to adjust." Joe apologized, taking a sip from his open bottle.

It was Josh to speak up first "You've worked with the Bureau before? I thought you were the newbie around here?"

"Old Job, I got pulled from Boston PD, I've had my run-ins with a few of your less than savory colleagues." Joe explained "It wasn't always the best experience."

Malcolm nearly snorted. "Yeah that sounds about right. Unfortunately we have a few cowboys that like to give us a bad reputation. I think every branch of law enforcement has a few bad apples and that's usually who people remember. I can vouch for the guys in this room at least if you ever find yourself in a pinch."

The waitress came back with their drinks and the group of them fell back into conversation.

Dean looked intrigued when Joe mentioned Boston. "Hey I do a lot of work in Boston; I was stationed there for awhile, but now I hop around a lot and haven't been back in a few months. How is everything up there?"

"I haven't been around in about a month now myself so I'm probably not the best person to ask. Get back to me next week; I'm headed up there this weekend to take care of some personal stuff."

"And by personal stuff he means gettin' down and dirty with his lady friend while the rest of us are stuck here working." Tony cut in dejectedly

"Hey man, it's not my fault you can't keep a girl. Mine might be a few hundred miles away but at least I know she's still gonna be there the next day instead of disappearing overnight with my wallet and my watch."

"Hey that was _once_" Tony defended himself

"Yeah and that's once more than anybody else at this table, am I right guys?" Joe directed the question out to his group of associates. He received a few nods and smiled triumphantly. "See? You're just a lost cause Tony."

Tony was quick to object. "I resent that statement. How do I know you're girl isn't just made up? You still won't talk about her you know, makes a guy curious about your credibility."

"What do you want me to do to prove she's real? I can call her if that'll prove anything."

"Yeah why don't you give her a call? Put her on speaker phone so we can ask her some questions." Tony goaded him on.

The three FBI agents and Patrick just sat back and watched the exchange with a chuckle. Leave it to Tony to get fixated on a woman, one that wasn't even his.

Patrick took a long pull from his drink and watched Joe as he retrieved his cell phone from his pocket and hit a speed dial. He'd spent some time with Joe outside of work and felt as though he had really gotten to know him pretty well by now. He'd manage to weasel a few things out of him about his girl Jane then the other guys knew, or more precisely Teresa had managed to squeeze the details out when he'd invited Joe over for a family BBQ and let his wife loose on the unsuspecting man.

A few things had been clear to Patrick the longer he spent around Joe when anyone mentioned his girl. He was very protective, almost to the point of being secretive about anything to do with her but he could tell it wasn't because he was ashamed. It seemed more to him like he just wanted to keep her all to himself, no doubt because of their long distance situation. Patrick sympathized with Joe though, he'd gone through a similar but not quite as intense stage when he'd first started dating his wife, Joe just needed some moral support and some time with this Jane of his. He was happy to hear that Joe would be able to see her again soon.

Jane was busy yelling insults at the players of the Tampa Bay Rays on her TV as they bobbled a ball in the infield when her phone interrupted her rant. If it wasn't an emergency someone was in big trouble for disturbing game night.

"Rizzoli" Jane huffed into her phone as she turned down the volume on her TV.

"Hey babe, how was your day?"

Jane visibly relaxed when he recognized Joe's voice and not Korsak or Frost on the line calling her back in to work. "Hey you, work was boring, a lot of paperwork and looking over cold cases. Nothing to write home about."

"Well that's better than my day's been if that makes you feel any better." Joe offered

"Oh you had that FBI thing today didn't you? How'd you get along with the feebs?"

Joe cast a quick glance at the guys around the table "Some of them were actually very helpful, totally different than their usual dealings."

"Wait you mean there are actually useful purposes for the FBI? That's a shocker."

"Purposes or no that's not exactly why I called, I need to ask you a favor…"

Jane was curious as to what Joe could possibly ask for "Um alright, what is it? If it's unreasonable I'm not even gonna consider it."

"I promise it's nothing bad or particularly hard really. My friend Tony here is a nonbeliever of your existence, care to prove him wrong?" Joe knew the offer would tempt her; it was like waving a red cape in a bull's face. He didn't envy the mouthful Tony was going to get from her.

"You called me during a game to talk to one of your friends? I'll make certain allowances for you because you're my man and all but guys I've never even met that don't believe I exist? Pass the phone over to him and let me at him. I've been just itching for a good fight, the Sox are still a run behind and everyone besides the Rays' pitcher is playing like shit."

Joe didn't even think of suppressing the smile she was causing to spread over his face. Tony was going to regret ever doubting him.

"Ok baby, don't be too mean though, I still have to work with him." Joe laughed then handed the phone over to Tony.

"She wants to talk to you."

Tony dove right in "Well hello there Sweet heart"

The other five men at the table watched as Tony tried to lay it on real smooth with Jane. As his facial expressions changed from sly to stunned to fearful any appearance of calm amongst them vanished. They all deteriorated into fits of laughter.

Patrick was the first to speak up of the group. "She doesn't like being called sweet heart does she?"

"Not even in the slightest, I can get away with a few little names here and there but I've never seen her let anyone else slide for it, she hates being patronized. Actually he's lucky she can't reach through the phone, it's the only thing saving his pretty face right now."

Mal stopped laughing long enough to join in. "She's a firecracker isn't she? I'd hate to get on her bad side."

"I've been there plenty and it's not fun." Joe took another pull from his bottle "She's a keeper though, imagine a guy like you or me then make him prettier, give him tits, a great ass and some nice legs and you've pretty much got my girl. She's just riled up right now because we interrupted the Sox game. Most times she's not quite so rowdy but we take our baseball very seriously in Boston, you know 'cause we actually have a decent team unlike you guys and the Nationals."

Dean was quick to chime in "I'd have to agree with you there, I don't even really care about baseball but I know the Nationals suck."

"Oh come on, guys that's not fair, we've only had them since '05" Josh tried to defend his home team "They were pretty good when they were the Expos."

"Yeah, when they were _Canadian_. Don't you think there's a reason D.C. can't keep a team? I mean why else would the Senators have hightailed it out of there not only once but twice? Minnesota got the Twins and Texas got the Rangers back in the 70's didn't they? D.C. just doesn't have the fans or the players. Not that the Rangers are doing much better down there. Aren't they and the Nationals like the only teams in the MLB to never make it to the World Series?"

"And the Mariners" Josh added

By this point they were so distracted by talk of baseball they didn't realize Tony was about ready to curl up in a corner and hide.

Luckily for him Patrick, who wasn't really paying that much attention to the conversation anyway noticed his agitated state and took the phone from him to relieve him of Jane's wrath.

"Hello Jane, my name is Patrick; I'm a friend of Joe's, I promise Tony is gone" He warmly introduced himself.

He wasn't quite sure what to expect from the woman on the line considering Tony's spooked demeanor but what he got was resoundingly pleasant.

"Oh hello Patrick, Joe's told me about you. Says that you're a good guy, and he's usually a pretty good judge of character. I'd like to thank you for looking out for him down there. I know it's fun to haze the new guy so I worry about him you know?"

She was surprisingly calm and relaxed considering the last man she had talked to was currently brooding over his beer and generally not talking to anyone.

"I understand. Don't worry, I promise to keep an eye on him for you, make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble."

Jane was relieved; she'd heard nothing but good things about Patrick from Joe so she felt he was in good hands with Patrick watching over him for her. "Thank you."

"So do you have any plans to ever make it down here to good ole D.C.? My wife Teresa would love to meet you. Joe was over at the house the other day and I'm afraid she wouldn't leave him alone once she found out about you; she's a bit of a match maker. Once she sinks her teeth into something she doesn't let go and it seems you and Joe are her new project."

The quiet snort Jane let out was mostly garbled by the sounds in the bar but Patrick heard the amusement none the less. "Yeah, I'm trying to make it down there for his birthday next month but I haven't told him yet, it was supposed to be a surprise. I can trust you to keep your mouth shut right?"

"Yes ma'am, you certainly can. If you ever need anything you just let me know and I'll take care of it for you."

"Well there is something you could do if it's not too much trouble…"

During a lull in the arguing between Josh and Joe Mal realized that Tony no longer had possession of Joe's phone and Patrick had taken his spot. He pointed out that very fact to Joe.

"Hey Joe, you might have to watch out, Pat's got your girl on the phone. You know how he is with the ladies."

Joe wasn't really all that worried but hearing Patrick laughing at something Jane had apparently said did have him intrigued. Jane didn't have the best track record with getting along with people she's just met. He couldn't hear Patrick's answer since he had turned his head anyway from the group but he exchanged a few more words with Jane before turning back to Joe.

"She's asking for you." Patrick handed the phone back without protest and grinned at Joe's skeptical look.

"What's up babe? I see you did quite the number on Tony, he's hiding in the corner."

Jane laughed softly "Yeah, he got what he deserved. Patrick was much more enjoyable, I like him." Jane confirmed

"So what did you two talk about?"

"Nothing to worry about, just some stuff."

When Jane was decisively vague like that he knew she was hiding something. "Come on Jane, you know whatever it is I'll get it out of you eventually."

"Not a chance. I just wanted to say good bye so you can get back to the boys only club and I can watch the rest of the game."

"Alright, but I'll call you again later and I _will_ figure out what you two talked about." Joe promised

"You can try. Good bye Joe, tell your FBI buddies hello for me."

"Bye Janie, you'll be hearing from me later." The dial tone that answered his statement was pretty final. She definitely won that round.

He put his phone away and turned back to Patrick. "What did she say to you?"

Patrick easily deflected his question "Relax, I merely introduced myself and had a nice little chat about a few trivial things, nothing to get bent out of shape about." He finished his bottle of beer and motioned to Tony with his head "What you should really be asking is what she said to _him_"

Tony hadn't really recovered from his encounter with Jane yet; he was still a little shaken and very quiet.

"Man, your girl broke him!" Josh declared in awe "She's got my respect and I don't even know her."

"Mine too" Dean chimed in "I'd like to meet a girl that can shut _him_ up like that."

Patrick and Joe both had to laugh at that one. "Well it was bound to happen sooner or later; maybe he'll learn something from this experience."

"Doubtful." Mal chimed in unexpectedly "But we can always dream."

They stayed at the bar for another round of drinks then made their ways home for the night. Joe found that he enjoyed the company of the three FBI guys and made sure to extend an open invitation for future nights out.

* * *

Tuesday morning Joe was walking into his office drinking a cup of coffee when he noticed it was not how he'd left it the night before.

The container on his desk which usually held his pens and a pencil or two was now housing an array of crayons, chalk, markers and pencils. Upon closer inspection of his desk he found no important files had been moved but his scissors had been exchanged for safety scissors and someone had taken his stapler and replaced it with scotch tape and a glue stick. His paperclips had been swapped out for pipe cleaners and where he usually kept organizing tabs for his papers he found several packets of baseball stickers instead. In the place of a bottle of whiteout there was a big rubber eraser and his rubber bands were conspicuously gone in favor of three tubs of red, white and blue Play-Doh. When he turned his chair around to sit down in it he found it was occupied by a medium sized stuffed tiger wearing sunglasses and a Red Sox hat.

He had a hunch that we now knew what Patrick and Jane had been talking about last night. He shook his head in amusement and made a promise to himself to never let Jane and Patrick talk over the phone again.

His computer screen was covered in multi-colored post it notes with a single pink note in the middle that had the words "For the Big Boy" and a smiley face written on it. He pulled it off and was not expecting to see the little bit of picture his screen was currently displaying.

Someone had logged on to his computer and changed the background to an obviously self taken picture of Jane kissing the stuffed tiger currently sitting on the floor at his feet. The words "This could be you if you'd just come home" were very clearly displayed along the bottom of the screen and brought an easy smile to his face.

"One more day baby, just one more day." He said aloud to the empty room, running a finger down Jane's cheek on his screen.

He was going to have to plan some way to get back at Patrick for this. Until then he'd just have to figure out where all his stuff had gone.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for all the baseball talk but it just seemed like somthing they could and would argue about. Just for the record, I'm not a Red Sox fan but I'm good at pretending for Jane and Joe's sakes. Next chapter comes the long awaited home coming and depending on reviwers consensus the rating might have to get bumped up to M. I'll let you guys decide whether it gets dulled down a bit or spiced up. Thanks for reading and hope you guys enjoyed! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Oh geez, I can't apologize enough for this chapter taking so long, once I got started writing it it just grew a mind of its own and went crazy. I actually had to split what was origianlly suposed to be one chapter into two becuase it was just way too long. This is the first part and I think I've made you guys wait long enough for it, I have half of the next chapter written already so hopefully it will be out a lot sooner than this last one took. Still no beta so any and all mistakes are my own and I'm so sorry if you find them but nobody is perfect and I seem to be farther from it than most. Thank you again for all the wonderfull reviews you guys are the reason I keep this thing going! There is no episode tag to this but in case you missed it, the rating did get bumped up to M so no more kiddies allowed. Enjoy and please don't kill me for taking so long, if you do you'll never get part 2!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned any part of the show do you really think I would be sitting here writng fanfiction about it? That's a negative in case anyone was wondering, I'm just a regular fan with some extra time on my hands and a wacky imagination. **

* * *

Wednesday afternoon Jane couldn't stop fidgeting at her desk.

Frost knew something was up with his partner but he didn't have the faintest idea what could possibly be making her so twitchy.

"Jane, you alright over there? You seem a little squirrelly."

"Wha? Oh yeah, I'm fine, just got something on my mind." Jane flippantly deflected his concern.

"Well could you stop with the twitching then please? I can't concentrate with you tweaking out right across from me."

Jane was immediately defensive "Whoa, I am not tweaking out!"

"You can't sit still and that's only your second cup of coffee today so I know it's not caffeine jitters. Yes you are." Frost accused.

Korsak decided he'd add his two cents in to the conversation. "He's right Jane, whatever it is you've got on your mind has got you more hyped up then a 5 year old on a sugar rush. Spill the beans already."

Jane had absolutely no intention to doing what they asked. She hadn't even told Maura about her and Joe yet, there was no way she was letting Korsak or Frost in on the secret.

"It's nothing, just this thing I've got tonight."

"If you say so Jane, but whatever it is it must be important…it doesn't involve a man does it? Do you have a date tonight?" Frost guessed mockingly scandalized.

Jane hoped the blush she felt creeping up from her neck wasn't noticeable to anyone else "None of your business Frost, now leave it alone will ya?"

She wasn't as lucky as she hoped she'd be.

"Aw look you're blushing! So you do have a date, who is he?"

The confirmation of Jane's evening plans caught Korsak's attention. "Hold the phone, you _do_ have a date?" he rolled his chair over to her desk "Where'd you meet this guy? What's his name?"

"Will everyone just please drop it? It's not a date, ok? It's just this thing I have to do."

Korsak wasn't about to give up that easily. "Wait, is it that FBI guy? He asked you out last time he was in town didn't he? What was his name?"

"Special Agent Dean" Frost filled in for him.

"No!" Jane vehemently protested. Sure he was cute and she might have given him a shot if he'd stuck around but she didn't want any rumors to start flying around the precinct. Even with Joe gone word could still get back to him and she was no cheater, she didn't need Joe thinking she was.

"Ok so no FBI guy." Korsak relented "Did you meet him around town? Out on a run maybe? Didn't you say the Doc talked you into running the marathon with her this year?"

Jane dropped her head on her desk. "Ugh please don't remind me, I've still got a few months before I have to face that."

"You aren't gonna tell us are you?" Frost was only mildly disappointed, it was fun to tease Jane but not to the point that it really upset her.

"No, I'm not telling anyone anything! Mind your own damn business and finish your paperwork." Jane threw herself into the pile of papers piled on her desk and tried to drown out the rest of the world around her.

"Well whoever this guy is I hope he's good enough for you Jane. You deserve some happiness too." Frost told her quietly before focusing on the paperwork demanding his attention.

Jane didn't respond verbally but she did glance up long enough to flash her partner an easy smile. All was forgiven for now.

The rest of her work day consisted of filling out and filing various papers, staring until her eyes hurt at cold cases and visiting Maura down in her lab.

As much as it was good there were currently no new murders for them to solve, it meant excruciatingly boring days at work for her and that was not something to look forward to. She really hoped, (but also equally didn't hope) she'd get a case called in soon so she could get out of the office and do something productive.

On the other hand, no new case meant an early day and this day in particular she would have something very captivating to look forward to. Something so much better than her dog and whatever was on TV, which is what she usually came home to.

Maybe an annoyingly dull day at work was ok for today.

Sometime after 6 Jane was fed up with paperwork and headed out for the day.

As she gathered her things she said her good byes for the night. "See ya guys, I've done enough paperwork today to last me a life time."

"Night Jane, have fun on your date with Mr. Mystery." Frost chuckled in return.

Jane was not amused. "You think you're funny don't ya?"

"Of course I am, I'm very funny."

"Yeah funny lookin'" Jane mumbled under her breath.

"What was that?"

She didn't waste anytime in making her escape for the door. "Nothin' I'm out of here. See you tomorrow." She threw up her arm and sent a half hearted wave behind her.

She ran into Maura in the parking garage.

"Hey Maura, you headed home too?"

The impeccably dressed medical examiner greeted her friend with an effortless smile. "Yes, I think I've spent a sufficient amount of time working today. I'm looking forward to a hot bath and some online shoe shopping."

Jane snorted "Sounds exciting. Well don't let me keep you from such a riveting evening." She held her arms out in an after you gesture.

"Oh, Jane are coming to Yoga with me this weekend? You promised you would at least give it a try." Maura reminded her for the fourth time that month.

Jane had certain plans on how to spend her weekend and yoga was definitely nowhere on the agenda. She felt bad weaseling out of it again but there was no way it was going to happen when Joe was in town. "Uh, not this week Maur, sorry. I promise I'll go with you twice next week. I have something I have to do this weekend and it's kind of important."

"Ok, but I'm going to hold you to that. An evening of Kundalini or Hatha yoga would be very relaxing for you. Then we can move up to something more invigorating like a Vinyasa class for the weekend, I don't think you are quite ready for an Ashtanga session yet though."

"Got it, raccoon relaxation during the week then Vin Diesel for the weekend, you can count me in."

Maura just stared at her looking very perplexed. "I'm not sure I'll ever understand you Jane."

"The feeling's mutual." Jane merely smiled and waved before retreating to the safety of her car.

She'd just reached out to open her door when her phone rang. There was only one person she wanted to be on the other end.

"Hey babe, I just wanted to let you know I'm boarding now so better hide anything you don't want me seeing because I'm going to be there soon." Joe informed her.

Jane was digging through her stuff for her car keys as she talked. "I can't wait, you said the flight was a little over an hour right?"

"Yeah barring any delays I should be in around 7:45. I'm keeping my fingers crossed there won't be a lot of air traffic at this time of day." There was a garbled loud speaker announcement on his end of the line "Alright I have to go, see you shortly baby."

"I'll be there waiting for you."

Jane spent about 45 minutes cleaning up her apartment before taking Joe Friday out for a quick walk before she had to leave for the airport.

Half way through their walk around the park it started raining.

She made a mad dash back to her apartment to escape the sudden downpour but the damage had already been done. She smelled like the wet dog she'd picked up to carry in an effort to get back home quicker.

Frustrated at Boston's abrupt weather changes she reluctantly toweled down her dog then jumped in the shower to rinse off and hopefully get rid of the wet dog smell still clinging to her.

She dried off and dressed as quickly as she could but her impromptu shower had set her behind schedule.

She hurried out the door and seriously toyed with the idea of pulling out the emergency police light and siren she kept in her car to get through traffic on time. She ultimately decided against it but not without a pretty heated mental debate.

The rain slowed everything down and seemed to turn everyone on the road into even bigger assholes than usual. She got cut off four times before she could finally make out the approaching airport terminal through the falling rain.

She maneuvered through airport traffic as fast as she safely could and found a spot in the short term parking lot then made a run for the closest door. In her haste to get out the door in time she'd left her umbrella in the canister on the floor by the door in her apartment.

Jane only took a few steps in the sliding doors before her phone alerted her that Joe was calling.

Suddenly she was shaking again. She wasn't sure if it was from the chilled rain cooling her skin in the air conditioning or her nerves, she suspected it had more to do with the latter.

"Hey babe, did you make it here in one piece? I can't help but notice you made it rain again, you did that on purpose didn't you?" Just hearing his warm teasing voice and knowing he was here in Boston somewhere in the same terminal as her had an excited shiver skittering down her spine. Now she just had to find him.

"Yeah well you know me; I like to keep things interesting. It's Boston's way of saying welcome back." She wandered around aimlessly looking for a sign for the arrivals bay to point her in the right direction. "Where are you anyway?"

Her question was met with silence. "Joe?"

"Turn around Jane." Jane stiffened and froze completely at the voice that had clearly not come from her phone.

For the first time since she'd watched him walk away from her and out of Boston over a month ago Jane finally had Joe back.

Without really even processing her movements she whirled around on him and all but jumped into his open arms. Joe returned her hug, firmly wrapping both his arms around her. He buried his nose in her damp hair and took a deep breath savoring her scent.

Jane closed her eyes and rested her head against his, content to just bask in his warmth and the fact that he was actually there. He wasn't just a voice over the phone anymore.

Joe pressed a gentle kiss to Jane's forehead and let his lips linger there for a few blissful moments. He left other sweet little kisses across her face, starting by tenderly ghosting his lips over one closed eyelid, then moved on to her cheek, over to the tip of her nose then finally dropped to the corner of her mouth. "I missed you so much Jane" he whispered to her before finally meeting her lips for a proper kiss.

It was everything she remembered and more, scalding heat, quiet raging passion and liquefied lust.

Standing there in a random terminal of Logan International Airport tangled in Joe's arms Jane was completely and unequivocally happy for the first time in many years. She didn't even mind the PDA.

Jane smiled into the kiss and broke the contact of their lips just a few millimeters. They were still close enough to breathe in the same air and his warm breath mingled with hers for countless seconds before a few breathless words slipped past her lips for his ears only. "Welcome home baby"

Then she pulled him back to her for another shorter, but no less intense welcoming kiss.

His head was a little fuzzy from the sensory overload of kissing her again but his brain was still functioning well enough to catch what she'd called him. She probably didn't even realize she'd said it at all. He was well aware of the fact it wasn't likely he'd hear it from her lips again anytime soon but he didn't mind. Joe couldn't have suppressed his grin if his life depended on it.

All too soon for his liking Jane had pulled away from his embrace and took a few steps back. She gave him a once over from head to toe. He looked good in suits but she much preferred the dressed down version of him that she was being treated to.

Joe watched her, amused at her unabashed appraisal "Do I pass inspection?"

Jane met his eyes and smiled again. "You'll do for now."

Her observation was met with a raised eyebrow from Joe.

Then he saw the hungry glint in her eyes. "You look good Joey" Jane amended her previous statement. "Let's get out of here"

"No objections here." Joe reached back to grab the handle on his carry on bag with one hand and used the other to catch Jane's hand and lace his fingers with hers.

Jane was hesitant at first, she didn't usually do the whole hand holding routine but it didn't take her long to adjust to the reassuring feeling of his warm hand wrapped up in hers. If she wasn't careful Joe was going to tear down all her carefully constructed walls and turn her into one of those ditsy girly girls, she'd never forgive herself if she let it go that far.

Walking at a leisurely pace back towards the parking lot, Joe was content to let Jane navigate their way through the throngs of people passing by. When they reached the sliding doors that would lead them back outside into the rain she paused just inside of the door. The motion sensors controlling the movement of the doors held them open as she glanced sideways at Joe. "You ready?"

The fresh damp scent of rain permeated the air just in front of them. Boston air smelled different than D.C air; it had a certain crispness that was absent from the warmer and more humid climate of the south. Just one more thing Joe had missed from his home town.

With one decisive nod of his head they both plunged out into the downpour.

By the time they found her sedan in the lot and got the doors unlocked both were soaking wet and near hysterically laughing. Jane flipped on the heater in her car and turned it up full blast to warm them up on the way back to her apartment.

They spent the ride home stealing sidelong glances at each other and trading smiles when they caught the other looking. Joe's left hand had comfortably settled on her thigh and his thumb traced soothing circles into the denim covering her leg for the entirety of the trip.

They pulled up right in front of her building on the street. Jane switched off the engine and turned toward her passenger. "So do you want to stay in here while I get the door or brave the storm with me?"

"Well I'm already wet; at little more won't kill me."

"Ok tough guy, let's get this over with then." With her keys in her hand she opened the car door and made a run for the entrance.

On her way up her foot slipped on the slick surface of the concrete that made up her front steps and she felt herself starting to topple over backwards. Her fall was broken by a pair of strong arms and a sturdy chest.

Jane was slow to recover. "Gosh you're mighty convenient to have around aren't you? Thank you."

"It was my pleasure, I'm glad I could be so handy." Joe kept one arm around her waist and let her open the door for them both.

"You know I have the strangest feeling of déjà vu" Joe remarked as they walked through the door.

"Oh really? I wonder why?" Jane deadpanned.

"Hmm…must have done something wrong last time. Hope I can fix that this time around."

Jane's answer was quiet but sincere. "You and me both."

Upon walking into her apartment Joe Friday scampered out from her dog bed and met them at the door with a wagging tail.

Jane knelt down to pick her up. "Hello Joe Friday, are you all dry now? I hope you stayed off the couch like I told you to."

The little dog showed no indication she understood what Jane was saying but she was more than happy to lick her face.

"You named your dog after me?" Joe asked baffled after finally hearing the dog's name.

"No, _Korsak_ named her, and Joe is short for Josephine not Joseph in case you missed the pink collar she's wearing. I wasn't even talking to you yet when I adopted her…or I guess I should say when Korsak dumped her on me is more like it." Jane deposited the dog back on the floor. "But she's pretty cute so I keep her around, kind of like someone else I know." She threw a playful wink in Joe's general direction.

Jane kicked off her wet sneakers and left them by the door. "You can put your bag in my room if you want." She instructed pointing to a slightly open door down the hallway. "And grab a few towels from the hall closet on your way back; I have to feed the dog."

Joe followed her cue and divested himself of his wet shoes and paused for a second to contemplate before also pulling off his wet socks and carrying them with him. Soggy toes were no fun.

He nudged the door open and flicked on the light switch. The scarce light in the room illuminated soft orange walls and dark wooden furniture. It was earthy, with little splashes of color in a lone green chair in the corner and her two blue table lamps, but over all very simple, and so characteristically Jane.

He left his bag on the chair and retreated to the hall closet to get the towels Jane had asked for.

As Jane was putting the small bowl of kibble on the floor for Joe the dog, Joe the human snuck up behind her. He wrapped her up in a towel and held her there in his arms.

Jane's first instinct was to struggle so she only just barely managed to stop herself from stomping on his foot and elbowing him in the face before she realized who had grabbed her. She didn't however stop herself in time to prevent knocking the back of her head against Joe's forehead when he initially startled her.

"Oww Jane! Jesus what was that for?" Joe rubbed his sore head, trying to sooth the bruise that was not doubt forming as they spoke.

"Don't sneak up on me! I'm not used to people grabbing me ok? I'm a cop remember? I didn't do it on purpose, it was a reflex."

"I'll be sure to make a note of that." Joe whined "For the next few days could you try looking before you leap into ninja warrior mode? Just as a favor to me and my poor head? I'd rather not get a concussion my first night back with you."

Jane did feel bad about the incident but it wasn't entirely her fault, he started it. "I'll work on it but self preservation instincts are hard to ignore, it's why we have them. Maybe you should just not sneak up on me like a normal human being."

"Where's the fun in that? Next time I'll just wear a helmet for safety."

"Ah come on you big baby, it can't be that bad, here…" she dropped a kiss over the sore spot on his head "now it's all better, I'll get you some ice and we can watch a movie or something." Jane moved to grab an ice pack from her freezer. "I don't feel like going back out in the torrential rain so dinner is either take-out or whatever we can scrounge up from the fridge that isn't green or fuzzy."

Joe took the proffered ice pack from Jane's hand and turned back to sit on the couch without commenting.

"Whoa there swamp thing, don't you dare sit on my couch in those wet clothes! I don't want it smelling funny or getting moldy." Jane grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back to her room.

Once inside, Jane found his bag on the chair and threw it on her bed to rummage through. Joe observed her from the doorway as she went through his stuff looking for whatever it was she was after.

She pulled out a green button down shirt, a pair of sweat pants, one of his white undershirts and a t-shirt. She handed him the t-shirt and sweats and kept the rest for herself. Along with a pair of cotton pajama pants her ensemble was complete.

Jane turned around and stared at Joe expectantly. "Well, what are you waiting for? Or did your bump on the head injure your functionality?"

"I wouldn't mind some help if you're offering. Head wounds can be very disorienting you know, I could end up putting my shirt on backwards if you don't assist me." His deep voice dripping with innuendo caused the blood in her veins to heat up and her heart rate to suddenly spike. He stared back at her, offering a challenge with his eyes.

She left the pile of his and her clothes on her bed and took a few deliberate steps towards Joe, challenge accepted.

"I'd hate to leave you in the lurch like that, backwards clothes are so uncomfortable. Come a little closer and I'll see what I can do." She enticed him, her eyes never leaving his.

"I guess I can handle that" Joe closed the distance between them to just a few inches. "This close enough?" He discarded the ice pack on her bedside table and tossed the clothes she'd picked out on her bed then let his hands settle on her hips to keep them close.

Jane reached up and undid the first button on his shirt. "Yeah I think I can take it from here."

Joe let out a groan as she took her time undoing the rest of his buttons then slid her warm hands under the open sides of the shirt to slide it from his wet body. His breath hitched in his throat when those lusciously soft hands came back down to find their way to his chest under his shirt and lightly scratched his ribs before peeling away his undershirt entirely.

Jane's pupils dialed and turned dark.

She ran her hands up and down his chest caressing firm smooth skin as she went. She kept her eyes locked with his as her hands descended to his belt. She carefully undid the length of leather and deliberately popped the button on his jeans.

Joe's grip on her hips tightened but he wasn't quite ready to move yet, his control was wavering dangerously on the verge of crumbling completely.

Her delicate fingers were confident as they gently lowered the zipper of his jeans then moved to his hips to tug them down his legs. Joe was left standing in only his boxers with his pants pooled around his feet.

They still had yet to look away from one another.

"Your move Joey" Jane taunted, leaving the proverbial ball in his court.

He stepped out of his pants and left them in a pile on the floor where they fell.

After lifting one hand to brush back some loose hair behind her ear he cupped her cheek and smiled.

Finally breaking eye contact, he very slowly and deliberately leaned forward to answer her taunt with one of his own whispered in her ear. "Never took you for the sort of girl to sleep with a guy on the first date."

"What first date?" she countered automatically.

Joe nibbled on her ear "Exactly."

Although Jane really wasn't that kind of girl, being there in the heat of the moment she was willing to bend her rules just once more for him. "Only thing stopping us right now is you Joey."

Jane's hands skimmed over up his back and then lightly scratched back down bringing with them a shudder of pleasure down his spine and drawing a growl from his throat.

Joe had to close his eyes and take a few deep breaths to get his raging hormones under control. "God Jane, it kills me to say this but as much as I'd love to just throw you on that bed and ravish you all night you deserve so much more than that. Call me old fashioned but I'm really lookin' forward to that date with you in that slinky black dress." He pressed a chaste kiss to her temple.

Jane abruptly pulled back from him astonished. "You're seriously telling me you're willing to forfeit a night of wild sex with your consenting "girl friend" because you want to dress me up and take me out to eat first? I'm not buying it, what's the real reason?"

"Would you believe me if I told you I have a headache?"

Jane cocked her head slightly to the side skeptically "Have you suddenly grown a uterus and ovaries?"

"Not the last time I checked, no. But I do have a nice bump on the head." Joe answered.

"Then no, I don't believe you. Is it…is it me? God it is, isn't it? Frog-faced Rollie Pollie Rizzoli strikes again." Jane pulled away from him entirely as her eyes started to mist up and turned her back to try to regain some composure. It seemed her childhood was coming back to haunt her after all, she thought she'd gotten over that years ago.

"Damn it Jane!" Joe spun her around and kissed her hard and fast. He parted her lips with his tongue and let it glide over every inch of her mouth before reluctantly pulling away and staring straight in her eyes, his hands firmly on her shoulders. Her eyes were slightly glazed over but he made sure he had her full attention.

His voice was hushed but the forceful tone he used left no room for argument. "You're gorgeous Jane, don't believe anyone if they ever tell you differently. There is no more rollie pollie Rizzoli, there never really was to begin with. All there is, and ever will be, is an extremely talented, breathtakingly beautiful and amazing beyond comparison Jane Rizzoli."

She was still hesitant to believe him. "Yeah?"

"Absolutely." He stated it as if it were a known and accepted scientific fact. "I just don't want to rush things Jane. I've waited so long for an opportunity to convince you we should give this a chance; I don't want to screw it up already. You've been in the back of my mind since before I even hit double digits, now that I have you I'm going to do everything I can to keep you, even if it means doing something ludicrous like denying us one night of wild monkey sex to do things properly."

Jane almost knocked him over when she lunged to hug him. She nuzzled her nose into his shoulder and broke out into a ridiculously goofy grin. He was by far the best confidence booster she'd ever experienced.

He felt her smile against his bare skin and returned the action.

Goosebumps formed on his arms as Jane's warm breath blew across his shoulder and tickled his neck. She noticed the raised flesh as she brushed a hand down one of his arms to reach for his hand and broke the embrace. "Come on; time to get you into some clothes so I'm not tempted to jump you unexpectedly and ruin all your chivalrous plans."

Jane grabbed the t-shirt from the pile of clothes he'd discarded and helped him into it. He snatched up the sweats from the bed before she could offer to help with those too. It would be way too tempting to have her be that close to very sensitive bits of his anatomy and not throw her on the bed and have his way with her.

He slipped the sweats on quickly and then refocused his attention on her. "Now to return the favor"

Standing in her dimly lit bedroom in damp clothes clinging to every curve of her body and leaving very little to the imagination, she was one of the most alluring things he'd ever seen. The shit eating grin she was flashing him made him weak in the knees, if he wanted to stick to his guns he'd have to do something about that situation.

Joe crept closer to her and pulled the damp shirt from her body and over her head, tickling her sides on the way up. He was met with no resistance, only that cute little encouraging if slightly timid smile. She allowed him to dress her in his undershirt then pull the green button down on over it, leaving it unbuttoned but rolling up the sleeves how he suspected she had planned on doing in the first place.

A brief hesitation preceded his decision to return the favor of taking off her pants for her. With his hands resting on her hips again he lowered himself down on one knee to the floor and looked up at her for any sign of fear or uncertainty. He was trying to keep this playful but if she suddenly got skittish he wanted to be ready to stop.

When her expression did not reveal any such emotions he used both hands to pop the button of her jeans and lower the zipper. He was rewarded for his efforts with a glimpse of emerald green satin, now he understood why she picked that shirt out in particular.

Encouraged by her acceptance of his position he leaned forward and pressed a tender kiss to the soft skin right below her belly button then blew a raspberry in the same spot. The resulting protesting wiggles to get him to stop made it hard to wrestle the wet denim from her legs but he managed it after a few attempts. Her jeans joined his rumbled jeans in a pile on the floor.

He reached out and groped around on the bed for the pair of pajama pants she'd taken out. When his hands found the soft fabric he pulled them down to the floor and let her step into them before pulling them up her legs and settling them comfortably on her hips. He stood back up in front of her and smiled. "All done life size Barbie."

Jane shot him a death glare and for several long seconds neither dared to move until finally Jane's resolve broke and she laughed. Joe took the initiative and led her by the hand out of her bedroom and back to the living room, relieved that he hadn't gotten scolded for what he'd called her.

By silent agreement they settled on the couch and Joe pulled Jane in close to snuggle up against him. They ended up with Joe leaning sideways against the arm of the couch with Jane leaning back against his chest. One of Joe's arms was securely wrapped around her and the other he used to run his fingers through her hair. Joe Friday hopped up on to the couch as well to join the party and settled down in Jane's lap. They made a nice little picture the three of them all piled together on her couch, he only wished he could take a picture of this moment so he could remember it later.

The comfortable silence they had been sharing was shattered by a loud grumbling noise originating from somewhere around Jane's stomach.

"You didn't eat dinner did you?" Joe scolded

"No, I was waiting for you. I figured we could eat together." Jane admitted bashfully.

The clock on her cable box alerted them to the fact that it was nearing 9 o'clock. There were plenty of take out places that delivered late but Joe wanted to do something nice for Jane to make up for the fact that she hadn't gotten what she wanted tonight.

"How about we just see what you have in the fridge? I don't cook very often but I can make a mean meat or veggie omelet." He offered

Jane tried to recall the contents of her fridge but she didn't look in it very often so her memory was a bit vague. "You'd probably have better luck finding vegetables then usable meat. I don't cook very often either but Ma comes over and makes family dinner here sometimes so she leaves me with any leftovers. I'm not actually sure when the last time I went grocery shopping was." It was a startling thought but she was usually so busy with the job things like cleaning and grocery shopping got pushed down on the to do list in favor of things like sleeping and eating.

Joe pulled them both up off the couch and made his way into her kitchen to check the fridge for edible ingredients.

He scrounged around until he found a red bell pepper, a few passable cherry tomatoes from a questionable plastic container of them, half of an onion, four random mushrooms in a Ziploc bag and a mostly full carton on eggs. He piled them all up on the counter and surveyed his findings. It wasn't much but he could work with it.

Before undergoing his dinner endeavor he pulled out two beers from her fridge door and handed one to her then popped the top on his own bottle.

"Alright, sit back and relax as I wow you with my extravagant cooking skills."

Jane complied and took a seat on a stool behind the kitchen divider to watch him as he worked. Between sips of beer and random idle chit chat she pointed out cabinets and drawers full of various items he needed as they went.

She feared that they might eventually run out of things to talk about since that's all they ever were able to do over the phone when they were apart, but it was surprisingly easy to keep up a lively conversation.

Joe was funny in a silly big kid kind of way but quick witted and entertaining to argue with. Their personalities usually lead to them bickering and name calling but they were actually rather complimentary to each other and also left plenty of opportunity for sweet little exchanges and long animated debates.

When he presented her a plate with his finished product on it she was actually surprised to find it tasted as good as it looked. Together they enjoyed a cozy little dinner of omelets and toast then put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and cleaned up the kitchen.

Afterwards, they ended up back on the couch flipping through channels to find something decent to watch before bed.

It turned out Spike TV was having a marathon of all six _Star Wars _movies so Jane made herself comfortable sprawled over Joe once again and settled in to watch episode 5: _The Empire Strikes Back._

Before Luke even crash landed on Yoda's planet Jane was out cold. When Joe noticed, he turned off the TV then gathered her up in his arms and carried her to bed.

Once she was securely under the covers he climbed into bed next to her and pulled her in close. With an arm around her waist and her legs tangled up with his Joe drifted off to sleep feeling as though he'd finally ended up where he belonged.

* * *

The early morning sun pouring in through the windows roused Joe from his peaceful slumber several hours later.

He opened his eyes and was met with a face full of dark familiar hair. It had been awhile since he'd woken up with someone next to him and having that someone be Jane was about as close to heaven as he could imagine at the moment.

Joe took a few minutes to observe her features as she slept. Jane looked so much younger and more carefree when she was asleep; it was incredibly endearing to know she wasn't always the brash and headstrong cop he knew so well.

Seeing her here like this, bathed in sunshine and blissfully spooned up against him she didn't look like a cop at all, the beautiful woman below all her rough exterior and obstinate personality was shining through.

He didn't want to disturb her but nature was calling and he doubted Jane would appreciate what would happen when he couldn't hold it in any longer. She already teased him about being a kid; he didn't want to give her any more ammunition about bed wetting to add to the list.

He extracted himself as carefully as he could from her and crept to the bathroom determined not to make a sound that might wake her up. When he returned to her room after relieving himself he found that his efforts were futile anyway.

Jane was sitting up in bed looking all too much like a small child rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She noticed him lingering by the door watching her. "Hey you, I thought you ran off on me."

"Like I would ever do that" he reassured her "I just had to go to the bathroom. I tried not to wake you, guess I didn't do a very good job"

She let out a big yawn before answering "I didn't hear you at all but I got cold when you left and it woke me up." She glanced at the digital clock by her bed "No worries, I have to be up soon anyway to get ready for work. I made sure I'm not on call this weekend but I couldn't get all of today off so I have to go in for a few hours in the morning and possibly the afternoon. Are you going to be able to entertain yourself on your own?"

"Yeah that's fine. I have to drop by my old place and pack anything that's left there up so I can move it all to storage today. I was thinking of calling some of my buddies from my old unit to see if they can give me a hand with the bigger stuff."

"Well if you want to stop by the station for lunch we can grab something in the area to give you a break between all the heavy lifting. Just keep it low profile if you do swing by please, I already have Korsak and Frost on my case enough as it is."

Joe studied her face as she gently pleaded with him. "You're not ashamed of being seen with me are you?" He was genuinely curious why she was so reluctant to let anyone know about them.

"No, of course not! I would just like to keep my personal life just as it sounds it should be. I don't want everyone at work knowing my business." She explained to ease his doubts "They can get their own lives; they don't need to know everything about mine."

"Alright I believe you, I'm just checkin' because whether you like it or not we're going out tonight for that date I promised you so you don't have much choice but to be seen with me. I hope that won't be an issue for you."

Her sleepy smile was all the assurance he needed. "It won't be an issue."

"You promise?" he goaded her

Jane held out her hand, little finger extended in good faith. "Pinky swear"

"You got yourself a deal babe." Joe linked their fingers together and kissed her knuckles. He pulled her to stand on her feet and start getting ready for the day ahead.

While Jane hopped in the shower Joe started a pot of coffee and found the fixings for pancakes. By the time Jane emerged from her room clean and dressed for work there was a small stack of pancakes waiting for her on a plate and a glass of orange juice. She settled down on a stool next to him at the kitchen divider to enjoy her breakfast.

"You're going to spoil me for all other men aren't you?" She said between mouthfuls of pancakes drenched in syrup.

Joe's lazy smile was beginning to be one of her favorite sights "That was part of the plan and I'm perfectly ok with that. All the more reason for you to stop fighting it and just accept it now."

"And miss out on whatever grand gesture it was you were planning on doing to make me cave in the first place? I don't think so, I kinda like it."

Joe laughed heartily "Don't worry, a little resistance won't deter me from my goal."

"Good, I seem to remember some claim about keeping your eyes on the prize. I hope that still applies."

"You betcha, and what a prize it is." Joe let his eye linger on her for a moment before glancing at the clock on her microwave "You should probably get going soon, don't want you to be late for work."

"Fine, I'm going, I'm going. Pour me a cup of coffee for the road?" She asked hopefully.

He rounded the counter and filled a travel mug with fresh coffee then added the last of the milk before handing it off to her on her way to the door. "Don't I at least get a kiss goodbye?"

Jane was happy to grant such a simple and pleasurable request. She pulled him in for a quick heated kiss then slipped out the door.

While Jane was at work Joe took a shower and changed into some of his older clothes that he didn't care if they would get ruined during the moving process. He made himself his own cup of coffee to take with him and then locked the door before he left.

He had arranged to rent a pick up truck for the day to do most of the moving so he picked up the truck from the rental place then headed back to his old apartment.

He spent the rest of the morning making calls to local self storage places and friends to catch up or ask for some assistance, then packing up boxes of anything he would be taking to Jane's.

By 11:45 he was ready to start doing all but the heavy lifting so he made a few trips and loaded the bed of the truck up with as much as he could by himself. He unloaded the truck at the storage unit and decided it was late enough to pull Jane away for some lunch.

Joe made one stop before pulling into the familiar parking garage and finding an open spot in the visitor section. He'd warned his old colleagues he'd stop by but he figured he should give Jane a heads up just in case.

He held his phone with one hand and carried a bag with the other as he made his way towards the entrance. He dialed and waited for the familiar greeting.

"Rizzoli"

"Hey babe, are you ready to be kidnapped? I'm in the garage; I just want to make a quick stop by the drug unit then I thought we could get some sandwiches or something."

There was some scrambling on her side of things and he could just barely hear her arguing with someone. He thought he could make out her partner's voice in the background but he wasn't sure. She came back over the line a second later "Ok let me know when you're ready to go and I'll meet you outside. Excuse me while I go kill Frost and depose of the body."

"I can bring a shovel if you want" he offered "They have them at the hardware store down the street for pretty cheap."

"Don't tempt me. I'll see you soon ok? I have to go."

He got in a quick good bye before she hung up. "Bye babe, I'll see you."

The drug unit wasn't on the same floor as homicide so he wasn't too concerned with possibly running into anybody in Jane's circle.

He walked into the open office space and headed for his friend's desk. He surprised Detective Jared Donnelly by deposited the bag on his desk with very little preamble. "My thank you present to you as promised."

Jared peeked inside the bag to check out its contents. Inside was a case of beer and a box of doughnuts. "I knew you wouldn't leave me hanging." He said in lieu of thank you. The two friends bumped fists in long standing tradition.

"Of course." He nodded "It was the least I could do, you did do me a big favor, two actually."

"I'm not sure what I did could be considered big but we look out for our own right?"

"Every damn day." Joe patted Jared on the back and leaned on his friend's desk to catch up.

Word of his return spread quickly through the unit and he was stopped by no less than half a dozen other people before he managed to get away. He didn't miss his old job but sometimes he did miss the people.

While he waited for the elevator to take back down to the ground floor he called Jane to let her know he would be outside shortly. When the sliding doors opened Joe was a bit startled to see Frost exiting the lift.

They weren't the best of friends but he had been his commanding officer for a short period of time, he felt rude ignoring him entirely. Instead of a formal greeting he acknowledged his presence with a polite nod and his name "Detective Frost"

To say that Frost was surprised was a bit of an understatement. He was pretty sure his former Lieutenant had relocated to D.C. What was he doing back in Boston? "Um hello Sir, what brings you back to our neck of the woods?"

"Just some personal business to take care of. I'm actually on my way out if you'll excuse me." Joe replied coolly, wedging a hand in between the closing doors to make sure the elevator wouldn't leave without him on it.

"Of course, but just a friendly word of advice before you go…steer clear of Homicide, Jane's on a rampage and I know you two never got along particularly well to begin with, save yourself a headache."

It was difficult to suppress the snort of laughter his _advice_ caused. Little did Frost know it was probably he that would be relieving _Jane_ of a headache by getting her out of the office and away from _him_.

The doors slid shut on their conversation and Joe finally got the opportunity to openly indulge in a round of laughter. He was still in good spirits when he found Jane outside leaning on one of the brick walls just beyond the entranceway waiting for him. She didn't look as amused.

"What's got you in such a good mood ?"

Joe kissed her cheek and starting leading her down the street away from the building. "Well I get to take you to lunch for one thing. Also I was just thinking of something funny I heard"

Jane could stand to hear something funny; maybe it would help brighten her mood. "Oh yeah? What's that?"

"I ran into Frost on the elevator. He warned me to save myself a headache and keep out of your way since you're apparently on the warpath."

Jane _did_ crack a smile at that. "He was being a pain in the ass, so I may have taken the liberty of returning the favor." She reached down and actually grabbed his hand to hold timidly as they walked. "I'm glad you didn't follow his advice"

"Me too." He grinned at her adoringly.

Lunch was relaxing and just what Jane needed to kick the funk that she had fallen into after being stuck at work all morning. She tried to drag it out as long as she reasonably could but she knew she'd have to jump back into the lion's den eventually. Joe kept up his chivalry act and picked up the check then walked her back to the station.

Just out of sight of any windows in the station he pulled her in for a searing kiss. "Something to get you through the day" he explained after he pulled away and wrapped her up in a hug.

Disoriented from the unexpected show of affection, it took Jane a moment to recover. She returned the hug then dug in her pocket for something. "Here, in case you need to get back into my apartment and you can't get a hold of me."

Jane dropped something small and metallic in his hand. He looked down to find a Boston PD keychain with a single silver key on it. "Are you sure? Don't you need this?"

"Nah, it's my spare I usually keep in my desk for emergencies, you can keep it. I'll make a new one."

Joe wasn't about to turn down an offer like that. He stowed the key safely in his pocket.

"Ok so I'll meet you back at home when I manage to blow this joint?" Jane double checked, she wasn't sure what Joe had planned for the evening.

"Yes ma'am. I should be done by the time you get back but if I'm not there try my cell." He confirmed. "Now stop stalling and get back to work" He made a shooing motion to get her going.

Jane pressed a quick kiss on his cheek then reluctantly walked the rest of the way back to finish her day at work.

With the added help of two of his friends who had a few hours to spare they moved Joe's couch, recliner, dresser and kitchen table to the already half filled storage unit. It didn't take as long as he'd planned so he had some time to kill before their dinner reservations.

He spent an hour catching up with his two friends at their favorite hangout but made sure not to drink too much. He wanted to be completely sober for later.

After bidding his friends good-bye he stopped by the nearest grocery store and picked up a few essentials and then a little extra. His plan for the weekend didn't really go much past keeping Jane in bed for as long as he could but he figured they'd have to eat eventually. It would be more convenient to stock up now than have to go back out later.

Joe still managed to beat Jane back to her apartment.

He used his newly acquired key to unlock the door and smiled, she really was trying to let him in her life.

Unloading the groceries didn't take too long after a little guess work with where certain things went. After he put the carton of milk he'd bought in the fridge he turned around to find Joe Friday staring up at him expectantly.

He bent down to pat the little dog on the head and scratch behind her ears. "So what do you think girl, is your mommy going to like my surprise tonight?"

She wagged her tail and gave a few yippy barks. He hoped that was dog speak for yes.

He moved to sit on the couch but Joe Friday followed him right on his heels. She looked up at him and barked again then purposely looked at the door and then back at him. When he paid no attention to her she sat down in front of the door and barked until he did.

Joe had a bad feeling about this. He liked dogs but walking froofy little dogs was not something he generally did.

He finally caved after Joe Friday jumped up on the couch next to him and laid her head on his leg and stared up at him with big brown eyes. "Fine, I'll take you out, but I'm not calling you Joe, are we clear? You're just Friday from now on."

In the brief time that they were out walking, Jane came home from work to find a totally empty apartment. It was weird not to be greeted at the door by her dog but the realization of where she must be and who she was with was extremely charming. Joe really was spoiling her.

When she heard the door open and Joe walk in, leash and dog in hand, she was ready with a camera. Joe never saw it coming.

"I see you've made yourself a new friend" She teased, coming over to give him a tender kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, you didn't have to do that. I would have done it later."

"I'm not so sure about that, she's mighty bossy for such a little thing. She must get it from you." He unhooked her leash and let her run free. "Like mommy like doggie"

"Easy there, you still plan to go out tonight don't you?"

"Yes that was the idea."

Jane shot him a wicked little smirk. "Then be nice or you can kiss that little black dress you've been waiting for good-bye."

Joe pulled her in close "Can't I just kiss _you_ instead? It would be so much more enjoyable." He leaned in and brushed his lips lightly across hers.

"Be a good boy and I promise I'll make it worth your while." She answered before separating them completely. "How much time do I have before I have to be ready for tonight?"

He checked the time on the microwave and did the math. "Well it's just after 4 now and we have reservations at 6:30 so you have about two hours. I hope you don't need any longer than that."

"I'm not even sure I would know what to do with myself for that long. Just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I have to embrace the stereotype. I'll need half an hour max."

"Well how would you like to help me arrange my stuff and empty boxes until then?"

Jane looked around and noticed the few boxes of stuff that Joe had brought from his place. "Sure, let me show you where there's some extra room."

Together they went through all his boxes and found new homes for all of his possessions in various places. If you hadn't known to look for them, the subtle changes to her living space would be virtually indefinable but it felt different to her, cozier.

They finished with time enough to spare for both of them to take a shower and change before dinner.

Joe was ready to go in a charcoal grey suit and tie when he heard Jane exit her room and turned his head to catch sight of her. He'd been having dreams about her in that black dress, the reality of it clarified all his previous memories and magnified them tenfold. She was unbelievably gorgeous in that dress. Joe was sure to let her know that.

"Wow. You sure do clean up nicely Jane, I wasn't lying last time I said you looked perfect. Are you sure I can't persuade you to skip dinner and just jump straight to dessert?" He got up from the couch and stalked closer to her.

Jane would not back down that easily. "Not if it means messing up your big plan. This is what you said _you_ wanted, so I'm willing to go along with it so I can get what _I_ want."

"Hmm…strong, beautiful _and_ smart. I like that." He zeroed in on her and crept up behind her as she slipped on her shoes. He made sure to leave some distance between them as a precaution. When she righted herself and had both feet back on the ground now balanced on heels he made his move.

He slid up behind her and pulled her hair to the side to give him access to her neck. He lavished the newly revealed skin with kisses that drew a series of very distracting moans from her throat. After the final sweep of his lips across her flesh he withdrew something from his pocket and fastened it around her neck.

Jane hadn't been expecting that.

Jewelry didn't typically come with any first date she'd ever been on before but this was hardly any conventional relationship, of course Joe would do something over the top for her.

She looked down at the silver chain and the pendant that hung from it. It was in the vague shape of a police shield and held the picture of Archangel Michael holding a sword with the words "Saint Michael Protect Us" around the border.

She wasn't quite sure what to make of it. "Saint Michael?"

Joe smiled and turned her around in his arms to look in her eyes. "Patron Saint of law enforcement officers." He explained soothingly "All those years of Catholic school finally came in handy for something. Keep it with you for protection and maybe just a little bit of luck." He ran a finger down her cheek lovingly.

Jane was speechless. This wasn't something a person would buy on impulse; it took a certain amount of thought and concern to pick out something like this. A lump formed in her throat preventing her from giving any sort of coherent reply.

Joe saved her from her having to make such a response.

He picked the pendant up and kissed it then let it fall back against her chest. "Come on, I don't want to miss our reservations." He slid his hand into hers and led her out the door after he helped her into her coat. She was too dazed to put up much of a fight but she hadn't intended to anyway.

Dinner was at a quiet little upscale Italian restaurant downtown.

He had the steak, she had the salmon and they shared a bottle of Pinot Noir between the two of them. Between chatter of his life in Washington and any one of the 4 major Boston sports teams they both followed, he offered up bites of his steak to her and in turn she would break off of bits of salmon to share with him. It occurred to her that she was essentially in a scene from a cheesy romance movie but she was enjoying Joe's company too much to give it much more thought than that.

Jane was delighted to find that dessert was made up of a very large piece of tiramisu. He insisted on feeding her the first mouthful and after a few half hearted protests she gave in to his wishes. He was going to be her downfall; she could already see it happening.

After they had devoured dessert and Joe had paid the bill, he surprised her again by instead of taking them straight home like she had assumed he would, he pulled up outside of a jazz club a few blocks away and led her inside. The night was far from over for them.

Inside, the smooth tones of clarinets, trumpets, saxophones and a piano lulled her already relaxed senses even more. They secured a small section of a very comfortable couch along the back wall of the building and Joe ordered them both a drink from a passing waitress. She returned with two glasses of a rich Cabernet and then dissolved into the background again.

The dim lighting of the room combined with the wine were doing funny things to her head but when Joe pulled her up to lead her out on the dance floor she melted into his embrace and let him sway them to the dulcet rhythms of the live band without hesitation.

With her head resting on his shoulder, one hand in his and the other curled around his back also on his shoulder Jane had the sinking sensation that she might be feeling something for Joe she swore to herself she shouldn't be feeling quite yet.

The night hadn't been anything like she'd imagined. It wasn't really her style at all, she was the tomboy who drank beer right from the bottle and watched football with the guys, not the pretty one with the concerned boy friend who got dressed up and danced to jazz music. Her entire life she'd never even dreamed she'd want that sort of thing. Now that she had a glimpse of what it was actually like to be that woman she had to seriously revaluate a few of her previous misconceptions.

They lost track of the time out on the dance floor wrapped up in each other, sharing languid kisses totally uncaring of any audience they might attract. When Joe whispered in her ear as one nameless melody bled into another around them, she knew she needed to get him back to her apartment soon. "Would you mind if we moved this party to a more discrete location? I've been dying to get you out of that dress since the first time I saw you in it."

"I've been waiting for you to do just that since last night" Jane answered breathlessly.

He led her off the floor and back out into the chilly night. A few deep breathes of brisk air marginally cleared her swimming head as they walked back to her car. Joe was driving home so she didn't have to worry about being a little woozy but now she was getting extremely impatient for their arrival back at her apartment.

Joe opened the door for her and helped her in then gently shut it behind her and walked around to the driver's side to get in. On the drive back Joe used one hand to steer and the other to link hands with Jane. Their joined hands rested comfortably on the center console between them all the way home.

As soon as the apartment door swung closed behind them Joe let all his inhibitions go.

Before she even registered the closed door Jane was divested of her jacket and pushed up against it, her lips claimed by his in a searing kiss that lit a fire in her body. He abandoned her lips to trail slow and soft open mouthed kisses down to her collar bone. Her body was buzzing from the tension they'd built up over the night. At the rate they were going they could probably fuel a few small cities already.

Her body knew exactly what it wanted; right now it was desperately screaming to touch and be touched. She indulged herself by working the suit jacket from Joe's arms and throwing it somewhere over his shoulder. Her hands were clumsy as she fumbled with the buttons on his shirt until she was so fed up with the obstructions that she ended ripping the last 3 buttons from his shirt in her haste to get to his heated skin.

Joe wasn't idle as she stripped him of his clothes. His hands where everywhere he could reach trying to coax little gasps and pleasurable sighs from her body, gliding over subtle curves and silky soft skin. He drew one of her legs up over his hip to get closer to the delicious heat of her core. Its partner wound its way around his hips a moment later and drew a groan from his mouth when he pushed her farther up the door to meet his mouth with more hungry kisses. The new position pushed the hem of her dress up to her waist and let his hips settle snuggly between her thighs. She felt his growing arousal through the fabric of his pants and let out a strangled moan, she'd been waiting for this for way too long. With the last ounce of coherent thought she was capable of she whispered an order to Joe "Bedroom, now"

Joe didn't use words to answer; his brain was already focused on much more important things than speech. He melded their lips together again and hoisted her up from the door to spin them around and make the trek to her bedroom. It wasn't a far trip down the hall but he was forced to stop and they ended up back against a wall for a few seconds when a hand came down from around his neck where Jane had latched on, to grab his ass and squeeze. The sensation had made him falter and almost drop her but the added support of the wall pressed against her back let him regain his equilibrium enough to make it the few feet to her bedroom.

He lowered her onto the bed and let her scoot back farther up towards the headboard before zeroing in on her again. Her dress didn't stay on her for long, Joe made sure of that. He took great joy in locating the hidden zipper and peeling away the offending garment from her body. She hadn't been wearing a bra under the dress and the little pieces of black silk and lace that made up her panties had Joe groaning.

They came together again a jumble of heated skin and wandering hands. His body twitched under her seductive touch, muscles contracting and releasing as her hands trailed down his ribcage, her eyes following the movement. She was forced to bite her lip in ecstasy when retaliated and his thumbs circled her exposed nipples, rolled them into stiffened peaks. He ducked his head to let his mouth reach one breast and he took his time in tasting her, licking and sucking until she cried out and writhed beneath him, her body arching instinctively into his. Grinning against her flushed skin, he transferred his attention to the other breast, treating its twin to same the gentle torture, stopping only when her hands tangled in his hair and drew his head back up to hers for a hot, open-mouthed kiss.

Her mouth then moved down his neck as she undid the buckle on his belt and he finished the job, kicking his pants and boxers the rest of the way off and sliding his hands underneath the last scrap of clothing between them. A gasp fell from her lips, right near his shoulder as his fingers stroked the warm, damp flesh he found. Her hips rocked forward drawing a groan from both of them and Joe knew he couldn't take much more of this sweet torture. Hooking his thumbs in the waistband of her panties he trailed them down her legs and smiled when she kicked them off for him. He crawled up her body and paused just long enough to catch a glimpse of her, prone form pinned under his to her bed.

Previously he'd believed there was nothing more perfect in the world than Jane in her black dress; he now had to amend that statement to Jane _out of_ that little black dress. Her lips were swollen from his kisses, hair fanned out against the white pillows, skin flushed and eyes shining; there were no words to describe the feelings he had right now, beautiful and even gorgeous were too gross an understatement for her but he couldn't seem to make his brain function enough to come up with anything better.

A soft whimper snapped him out of his appreciation of her body and back into the moment. Before he could let himself go any farther he had to make sure this is what Jane wanted "No going back after this Jane, are you sure you want this? You let me in tonight and I get to keep you."

Jane rocked her hips against his again impatiently; he was hot and hard and so very close to where she wanted him, however she knew he wouldn't move an inch until he gave her an answer. "Yes, I want this, I want you Joe, will you just please give me what I want?"

He positioned himself over her, just shy of entering her "Condom?"

"As long as you're clean you don't need one." Jane growled back at him, eager to get on with things.

"You sure?" he double checked, the last thing they needed right now was an unexpected pregnancy.

"Yes" she nodded her head for extra emphasis "I'm on the pill, will you please…"

As soon as the words "yes" and "pill" fell from her mouth Joe moved, cutting off any further conversation.

She let out a contented sigh when she finally felt him pressing into her, easing his way inside. It had been awhile for her so she had to adjust as her body tensed around the welcomed intrusion.

Any discomfort lasted for only a few seconds as his hips settled against hers, joined intimately for the first time. Jane welcomed his weight as he let himself come to rest fully against her, heavy in a comforting sensual way as his hands drifted down her arms, hands linking with hers and pinning them above her head. His warm breath fanned across her face, his eyes meeting hers in an intense stare and when their lips met again, he moved.

They started up a steady slow rhythm. The complete opposite of the way they'd been groping at each other when he'd had her pinned to the door just minutes ago. Stifling a moan against his shoulder, she nipped his skin and smiled at his answering groan of pleasure. Their hips kept up the steady movement, rocking, thrusting, keeping them linked in the most intimate of ways. He let go of her hands, letting them slide down his arms, across his back to let one come to a rest in his hair while his continued traveling over her sides, brushing against her breasts and taunting her with barely there caresses.

Jane felt the tension in her belly building like a coil being tightly wound. She knew what was coming and it startled her that it was coming so soon, it really had been too long since she'd had a man like this. The tightening worsened with each of Joe's thrusts. She waited for the inevitable, her breathing beginning to turn labored, her soft moans melting into desperate whimpers and morphing into a cry when his lips traveled down to circle around her nipple again.

"Joey" The sound of his name falling from her lips made it all the more real for him. Her hands clenched in his hair as his mouth peppered kisses and gentle sucks over her neck and chest.

He slid a hand between them, finding her clit and pressing down hard, loving the sound that fell from her lips when he did. He kissed her hungrily, their actions becoming more and more frantic, more urgent as the friction built. He felt her body quiver, felt her muscles begin to tighten around him and moved his thumb over her clit once more, and again, pushing up into her, their bodies slick with sweat.

She arched against him suddenly, her body tensing and the densely wound coil in her belly released with a pressure that rocked her to the core. Her body shook with wave after wave of ecstasy as it coursed through her, her moan of his name muffled by his lips. The feel of her body contracting around him brought on his own climax and he muffled his own low groan against her shoulder. When she fell back against the mattress in satisfaction, he collapsed on top of her exhausted from the intense release.

When Jane came back to her senses she found Joe still in the midst of his slow recovery. His ragged breathing was the only discernable sign of life, he wasn't moving otherwise and his extra weight made breathing harder for her but she didn't mind. She liked the weight, loved feeling his head resting on her shoulder and being able to lazily run her fingers through his hair.

Neither of them wanted to move any further or say anything in fear of ruining the moment but they knew even without words that everything between them had changed. Now emotionally and physically bonded there was no turning back for them.

Joe finally found the strength to react, lifting a hand to stroke her damp hair back from her face. He trailed his fingers over her cheek before cupping her face, holding her steady as he leaned in to kiss her sweetly. They exchanged sleepy, satisfied smiles before Joe pulled the blankets up to cover their rapidly cooling bodies and Jane curled up against is side. "Good night baby" he whispered in her ear before she drifted off to sleep. A brief unvoiced admission floated around in his head as he drifted off as well. Wanting to be spoken, merely waiting for Joe to find the courage to let it slip out, _I love you_.

* * *

Friday morning Jane woke up pleasantly sore in places she hadn't been sore in for far too long. Joe's breathing was still even and relaxed; he hadn't woken up when she had. She turned in his arms, resettling herself with her head resting on his chest to listen to his steady heartbeat under her ear, a leg thrown over his and a hand tracing random patterns on his skin as she recalled last night.

He'd been nothing like she expected, but then again, everything like she expected also. He was sweet; she suspected he would be considering how he usually was with her but the degree of it still surprised her. He wasn't overbearingly so, not in a way that made her want to bolt, and forget about this long distance relationship entirely. It wouldn't have taken much considering her past track record. She was flighty to say the least, when it came to emotions pertaining to men, especially ones that actually meant something to her. But Joe had been…perfect, or at least as close to perfection as a man could come.

His sweetness vied with something else, something that she would best label as assertiveness, not doubt the same part of him the political animal derived from. She'd been with men before; she wasn't a nun by far, being in a Catholic school for so long had pretty much guaranteed that at a young age. But being with Joe made her feel like maybe she had never _really _been with a man. He'd been daring, confident, aggressive in the best way possible. She wouldn't change a thing about last night, except for maybe doing it sooner.

Time held no relevance as she'd slipped more out of control by the second, but it didn't matter. That was the point. He made her forget everything else in the world outside of her room in her cozy little apartment. Maybe his jokes about time manipulation had some merit; he'd sure turned her world upside down.

The real crux of the matter though, was he made her feel like a woman. Not a homicide detective, or the tomboy she usually saw herself as, but a woman. He'd once promised her sex with him would be amazing and she had to admit he may have been on to something.

"I can hear you thinking" Joe startled her in a sleepy voice "what's going on up in that pretty head of yours?" He wrapped her up in his arms and kissed her forehead.

Jane hadn't realized he'd woken up, she'd been so lost in her own thoughts she hadn't noticed when his breaths had lost their easy rhythm and he'd cracked his eyes open.

"Nothing important" She returned his morning kiss.

Joe knew her better than that "Liar. Don't do this to me Jane, let me in here" he said tapping her forehead with a single finger.

Jane was reluctant to share her feelings; she'd warned him early on that she wasn't very good with relationships. "Just thinking about last night." She finally answered

A slow smug grin crept across his face "Oh yeah? So what was the verdict?"

"Jury's still out on it, we may have to have a retrial to be absolutely sure" Her playful teasing was emphasized by her wandering hands roaming his naked body. "But you can bet I'm gonna enjoy every second of jury duty.

"That so? I never knew doing my civic duty could be so fun."

She smacked his chest playfully "Are you trying to imply that I'm a civil duty?"

"Would I do that? Though I do think it's my duty as your boy friend to keep you satisfied. However I'm not sure I'm willing to share you with any other citizens so you can't be civil, sorry babe, you'll have to stay in the private sector." He punctuated his words with a tight hug and pulling her leg up higher around his body, a hand holding it firmly in place.

She was feeling frisky so she rubbed her leg against his groin and felt his appreciation for her movements growing.

Joe glanced at the clock by her bed, 7:45 am. "Don't start something you don't have time to finish" Joe warned her flipping her on her back and trailing kisses across her chest and down toward her belly.

"Not on call today, remember? I thought ahead, I'm not due back in the office till Monday. I have all the time in the world." Jane confirmed

Joe only paused in his movement down her belly for a moment to meet her eyes and smile "That's my girl, always thinking. In that case, let's celebrate."

She caught his eyes and saw the fire burning in them, just like that it was last night again and they were both ready for round two.

Round two brought about round three when they decided to be environmentally friendly and would save water by sharing a shower to freshen up.

It was nearly noon by the time they finally surrendered to their angry stomachs and decided something to eat was in order. Jane decided since he made breakfast yesterday it was her turn to cook for him.

As much as she was sure Joe would have enjoyed her cooking naked she decided it probably wasn't the best idea. She pulled on a pair of boy short panties from her dresser and opted to wear the shirt Joe had been wearing last night, despite the missing buttons, claiming it was more comfortable than her clothes. Joe had just laughed about it and called it easy access for later. She only had one of the remaining buttons done up anyway.

He sauntered out of her room looking all too sexy for his own good, hair damp and dressed only in a pair of blue plaid boxers.

He came up behind her while she stood at the stove cooking two pieces of French toast, wrapping his arms around her and dropping his head on her shoulder. "Smells good babe"

She smiled and leaned back into his embrace "It's my ma's secret recipe; I used to help make breakfast on Saturday mornings before the good cartoons were on."

"Let me guess, you liked Rainbow Brite and Frankie liked Transformers?"

"Well you're half right. Frankie did like Transformers. I liked My Little Ponies when I was really little but I was a big fan of She-Ra and G.I. Joe once I realized ponies weren't all the fun I thought they'd be."

Joe chuckled and dipped his head to nuzzle her ear. "Even then you were playing with the boys toys weren't you?"

"Well they were cooler, and we didn't always have a lot of extra money growing up so it worked out really well for us that Ma could buy us toys that we'd both play with." She flipped over the pieces of toast and sprinkled some brown sugar on the cooked side.

"These are almost done if you'll get some plates out for me."

Joe was reluctant to let go of her but he also wanted to be helpful. He grabbed two plates from the cabinet and passed them off to her then turned on a pot of coffee and poured two glasses of juice for them.

By the time he'd gotten everything out the first two pieces of French toast were done and she put one on each plate and handed him one. "I have powered sugar around here somewhere if you want it" she offered looking aimlessly through the shelves of her cabinets and pantry after putting two more pieces of toast in the hot frying pan. She eventually pulled out a bag of the white substance and left it on the counter for him. They waited until their second pieces of toast were done then settled down to eat.

Joe convinced her to let him feed her again so they spent the rest of the meal cutting off pieces and either drenching them in maple syrup or covering them in powered sugar and passing them between themselves. After Jane had accepted the last bite, Joe had wiped some excess powered sugar on her nose and left a noticeable white smudge. Jane retaliated by grabbing a small handful of the white stuff and throwing it at him. They both broke out into hearty laughter and soon enough it was a full blown food fight right in the middle of her kitchen.

After being ambushed by more powered sugar to the face Joe armed himself with the sprayer from the sink and took up a defensive position. When Jane got within firing distance he sprayed her with the hose and declared victory. Jane pouted but ultimately admitted defeat in the end after slipping on the resulting wet floor and landing ungracefully in a jumble on the floor.

Her kitchen was a mess and Joe Friday was probably going to get sick from all the powered sugar she was licking off the floor but Jane couldn't have been happier. She hadn't laughed so hard or had so much fun in years. Joe gave her a hand up and kissed her on the cheek.

"You realize you're gonna have to help clean this up right?" She informed him, glancing around at the mess her kitchen had become.

"Yeah I'll help, but we have to clean you up too. Looks like it's back to the shower for us." Joe quirked his lips up into a grin and wagged his eye brows at her. "Are you up for round four?"

"Not if you expect me to be able to walk tomorrow." She sassed back. "I don't know about you but I'm starting to feel the effects of our time together. Not all of them are equally enjoyable."

"But you had fun getting that sore didn't you?" Joe gave her a cocky smirk. "Cause I know I sure did"

"Not the point Joey, now grab the mop from the closet and wipe down the floor while I clean the counters and maybe tonight I'll reconsider that fourth round."

It was enough incentive for Joe so he happily located the Swifer mop in her closet and made quick work of the sugared floor. He helped her wipe down any of the surfaces she missed and then dragged her back into her room to change her sugar dusted shirt.

Since Joe hadn't had as much protection due to his lack of clothes he jumped into the shower for a quick rinse off. When he wandered back into Jane's room to grab some clean clothes he found her curled up on her bed with her dog taking a nap.

He was tempted to wake her up but she looked so comfortable he couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead he nudged her gently until she moved over enough for him to slide in next to her.

An hour later they were both roused from their afternoon nap by a ringing phone. Going on pure reflex Jane drowsily rolled over to reach her phone but didn't realize she'd be landing right on top of her dog, she was startled by the loud protesting yelp coming from under her. The resulting scramble of limbs and bodies left Jane on the floor, Joe disoriented on the foot of the opposite side of the of the bed from where he started and Joe Friday fleeing the scene for the relative safety of her own dog bed in the other room.

Jane groaned from the floor and reached up to find her phone. She pushed the button to accept a call without even checking the screen. "Rizzoli"

The ringing didn't stop.

She looked at her phone extremely confused for a moment before it dawned on her what was going on.

"Damn it Joe, pick up your phone." She climbed back up on the bed to settle against the pillows.

Joe managed to locate his wayward phone two rings later, in a corner of her room next to his discarded pants from the night before. "Grant"

Jane watched perched on her bed as he suddenly stiffened.

"Hi Ma, no you weren't interrupting anything I just seemed to have misplaced my phone."

Jane had met Joe's mother once or twice before when they were children but she doubted that she would remember her if her name came up.

"Yeah I made it back just fine. I've been staying with a friend since I cleared out my apartment." It wasn't a lie; technically Jane was his friend, just one with a very specific title and privileges.

"No, not Darryl or Jared" Joe rolled his eyes at whatever his mother was saying and covered the mouth piece to fill her in "She wants to see me before I leave town on Sunday, do you mind if we have lunch with her tomorrow?"

Jane wasn't expecting to be invited along for the lunch date but if his mother was anything like hers then it would just be easier for everyone if she accepted now. Their mothers weren't close, so she figured there wouldn't be much danger of her mother finding out about them unexpectedly. If they had to tell one side she'd rather it be his mother than hers, there would be less awkwardness.

Jane nodded her head to let him know she was ok with it.

Joe listened to whatever his mother was gabbing on about for a few more minutes before relaying the message. "Yes mom, I can make time to see you tomorrow, are you free around lunch?" Jane heard more talking then "I have someone I want you to meet, so we will stop by tomorrow around noon then ok?"

There was a pause before Joe finally cut his mother off "No Ma! I did not get a random woman pregnant then run off and get eloped without telling you." Joe sat down at the foot of the bed in exasperation.

Jane snorted at that outburst and just barely kept herself from laughing loud enough to carry over the phone.

"Yes it's a woman, you'll meet her tomorrow. But Ma I have to go now, I have somewhere I have to be." A pause separated his words by mere seconds "Yes mom, I love you too, I'll see you tomorrow." With that he pressed the button to end the call and fell back on the bed with a long sigh.

Jane's laughter only got more intense. "Well that was interesting" she got out between laughs "It's nice to know I'm not the only one with mother issues."

"She's usually not so bad, but since I relocated I think she's just gone a little over board. Thinks that now that I don't live in the same city anymore that I'm going to go out and do something crazy like elope with the first girl I see and disappear into the sunset."

"Well I guess it will be a comfort to her to know that the girl you actually are bringing to her to meet has ties to the city and is an additional reason to keep her little boy coming back to Boston." Jane pointed out.

"I'll remember to bring that up, I'm sure she'll love you even more for that."

They spent the majority of the rest of the afternoon and evening hours lounging on her balcony enjoying the nice weather.

With the exception of a quick walk around the park for Joe Friday sometime in the evening they didn't actually accomplish much at all. It was probably the longest stretch of time Jane had ever spent not doing anything productive that hadn't threatened to drive her insane.

It was definitely the most relaxing day she'd had since she'd made detective. The best part was that she still had two more days until she had to be back at work and Joe would be there with her for almost all of that time.

Dinner was a joint effort, thrown together by what Joe had picked up at the store the day before and actually turned out rather well considering neither were following a recipe. The chicken and noodles concoction wasn't very pretty to look at but it tasted much better than it looked.

After cleaning up after themselves they got comfortable on the couch to watch a movie, this time from her collection of DVDs. She let Joe pick the movie while she made some popcorn. With a big bowl of freshly popped popcorn on the coffee table and a beer for each of them they settled in to watch _The Usual Suspects_.

Jane fell asleep about halfway through the movie head on Joe's shoulder, but she'd seen it so many times it didn't make any difference to her if she missed the end. Joe only made it about 30 minutes longer than Jane did before he nodded of as well.

Jane woke up sometime during the night with a crick in her neck from the awkward angle she'd been sleep in. Instead of trying to wake Joe up she pushed him over, swung both their legs up on the couch and pulled a throw blanket from the back of the couch over them. She promptly fell back asleep wedged in between Joe and the back of the sofa cushions. It wasn't perfect, but it didn't need to be, they had each other and for now that was enough to keep them happy.

* * *

**A/N:** *ducks flying tomatoes* I'm SO SORRY it took me so long but work got busy and my life was suddenly sucked up by everything non Rizzoli and Isles, please don't hate me. I hope this chapter made at least a few of you loyal followers out there smile, majority ruled on the rating change and hopefully I managed to not mangle thier characters too bad in my haste to get you guys something to read. Let me know what you guys think and I'll be back soon with part 2. Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

My sincerest apologies for taking so long with this, I got a nice nudge from Betherzz the other day so I figured I'd just sit down and finish this thing before my birthday this weekend and not make you wait any longer. Sleep is over rated anyway right? I can sleep when I'm dead. Still no beta so any and all mistakes are mine and I'm sorry if you find them, blame it on the fact that's it's way past my bed time and I ran out of coffee a while ago. I hope I did these two justice, they really are fun to write I just worry about keeping things enough in character to keep everyone happy. Please enjoy and on with the show! Also thank you to my reviewers out there, you are all wonderful people and I love each and everyone one of you!

**Disclaimer: If somebody would like to give me the rights for my birthday I would worship you forever and bake you cookies, but alas I don't see that happening. I'll just go sit in the corner with my muse and pout. The characters you recognize aren't mine, if you've never heard the name before on the show chances are I made it up :-) **

* * *

Joe woke up disoriented on Saturday morning. He remembered watching a movie with Jane but he didn't remember ever falling asleep. He must have dozed off without realizing it. Which he supposed would explain why he woke up with a sore back and half falling off Jane's couch.

His arm had fallen asleep and he really wanted to move it to get some circulation back into the tingly numb appendage but Jane was inconveniently sprawled all over him, If he was going to move anything he'd have to move her first.

He used his one free hand to run his hand through her hair and message her scalp. When that only caused her to nuzzle further into his chest he changed tactics. He started at her arm that was thrown haphazardly across his chest, gently scratching from her wrist all the way up to her shoulder. Continuing down he snuck his hand under her shirt and scratched down the side of her ribs and along one side of her back down to her hip.

He felt her starting to stir and smiled into her hair. It was strange how quickly he had gotten used to waking up with Jane in his arms after only 3 days, he dreaded going back to his lonely apartment in D.C. his bed would be too big and cold without Jane in it next to him.

Jane wearily blinked her eyes open, steadily being coaxed awake by the tingles following in the wake of Joe's fingertips on her skin. It wasn't a wake up call she was used to but she sure wasn't complaining, it was certainly pleasant.

"Wakey, wakey Sleeping Beauty." Joe crooned at her, still trailing his hands over her back, and down her spine.

Jane was definitely awake now but she didn't really want him to stop so she made no move to roll off of him "Hmmm…I thought Sleeping Beauty got woken up by a kiss? Where's my Prince charming to give me a kiss?"

"We're fresh out of charming princes; you'll have to settle for something else."

"How about a sexy boyfriend? Are there any of those around?"

Joe grinned "There might be someone that fits that description in the vicinity."

"Well I hope he gets his act together soon then, I have things to do today, places to go, mothers to meet…"

Jane's sleepy ramblings were interrupted when Joe slid a hand into her hair and pulled her head down to meet his mouth. Jane shifted positions to rest more fully on Joe's chest to better enjoy the early morning kiss.

The tingling in his arm intensified as he moved it for the first time in several hours. Despite the painful pins and needles sensation shooting up his up his appendage he slipped his hand under her waistband and cupped her ass to pull her closer.

A happy lustful groan echoed in the otherwise quiet room as Jane felt her body respond to Joe's. She pulled back from his kiss to meet his eyes. "So much better than Prince Charming." She hummed in satisfaction "and I don't have to share you with a whole kingdom either."

Time for them both blurs again; kisses melt into one another; hands wander; voices murmur. She wriggles out of her pants and straddles him, thighs pressing against either side of his waist and she's glad yesterday she'd convinced Joe he didn't need pants while lounging in her apartment, it left just his boxers and her boyshorts between them.

She grinds against him, seductive and mischievous, and he groans, gripping her hips tightly as she moves over him. Jane nuzzles against his neck as she flattens her body along his.

Joe's warm hands roam across the soft expanse of her back as he pushes the latest shirt of his she'd claimed off her shoulders. She reciprocates and peels his shirt from his skin. It isn't long before their underwear joins the pile of discarded clothes over the back of the sofa.

Their joining is slow and tender, relaxing just as it is invigorating, the perfect start to a lazy Saturday morning.

Later, as they lay sprawled on the couch, blissed out on post coital hormones and satiated from their morning activities Joe runs his finger down her neck and encounters a thin line of slightly raised skin he hadn't paid much attention to before. The scar wasn't very noticeable but he was curious how she had gotten it.

The extra attention he was paying to that particular spot on her neck did not go unnoticed by Jane. She didn't like to think about the reason she carried that scar and the monster that had given it to her.

Charles Hoyt was a name she would rather forget.

When she lifted her head from its resting place on his shoulder their eyes met and she could see the concern and unvoiced question shining back at her.

If it were anyone else asking she wouldn't even be considering sharing any details.

She really didn't want to go there but Joe was proving to her day by day that he was obviously in this for the long haul, slowly and determinedly chipping away at the walls that usually kept her emotionally detached from men.

Just in the last few days alone he'd already managed to put some major cracks in her defenses, enough to make her realize that he deserved to know the truth. If it effected her, by default it effected him now too. She'd take the risk of letting him in a little further into her jaded life.

"Scalpel to the throat, compliments of Charles Hoyt, a.k.a the Surgeon." She whispered and Joe's exploring fingers immediately froze.

"When?" Just the thought of some psychopath murderer close enough to Jane to leave a mark made his blood run cold.

She let out a shaky breath "Which time?"

Joe sat up and pulled Jane sideways into his lap "There was more than once?" Jane rested her head against his shoulder, nose buried in his neck, reluctant to meet his gaze.

"A couple years ago his first victims landed in my hands. Liked to go after couples, tied the guy up and made him watch as he raped his spouse. Then he'd stun gun him to knock him out and slit his throat and abduct the girl. I got to his last victim before he could kill her but he surprised me with a nice whack to the back of the head in his basement." She displayed her hands palms up for his benefit "Gave me these when I woke up and he had me pinned to the floor with a scalpel through each hand and one to my throat."

Joe took her hands in his and ran his thumbs over the scars on her hands then lifted one hand then the other to his mouth to leave a kiss on each side of her hands. "How'd you get away?"

"Korsak was still my partner back then; he followed my trail and found us, shot him before he could do any real damage to me. Unfortunately since I got away he's been obsessed with me"

"Remind me to thank Korsak next time I see him." Joe wrapped her up in a comforting hug to try to fend of the sudden chill that had gripped him talking about such events.

"Last year the killings started back up again and we thought there might be a copy cat killer but it turned out Hoyt had trained an apprentice before we caught him. He was a Green Beret that had worked for the CIA so he wasn't in the system, we had to duke it out with the FBI to get any information about him. He helped Hoyt escape prison and together they hunted me down like a pack of wolves and kidnapped me from a scene. They tied me up and took me out into the woods in a van to play their sick twisted games with me. I got Hoyt with a flare to the face and his own stun gun, the other guy came after me too but I shot him. I left Hoyt with a little reminder of our encounter when I put a bullet through both of hands before they found me and back up got there." It was hard to talk about but Jane finished her story in one go.

Joe knew working homicide was dangerous, usually more so then the Narcotics unit where he'd built his name and career, but he never imagined anything like this. If he hadn't known how much the position meant to Jane he would have asked her to consider a transfer in a heartbeat.

As it was, he knew he couldn't risk that conversation without starting a major fight and possibly losing her respect and trust. That would be a conversation for another day somewhere down the road.

It didn't mean he wouldn't still worry about her; he'd just have to take a few extra precautions to ensure her safety without her finding out about it. He'd be sure to make a few important phone calls at some point in the near future.

When Jane suddenly broke out into a low chuckle Joe peered down at her quizzically. "There were a few good things from that case though." one or two specific memories coming to mind.

"I find that hard to believe." Joe countered.

"No really, that was when I got Joe Friday" Jane smirked at him, a mischievous glint in her eye "And it's not everyday you get to tackle a senior field agent of the FBI into a creek." The startled snort Joe gave out only made Jane laugh more.

"You did what?" he double checked, making sure he hadn't misheard her.

"We were staking out the woods waiting for our guy to make an appearance and Maura didn't tell me she'd let the FBI guy that showed up to work the case with us know where we were and what we were doing. When someone showed up and knocked out Korsak then started running, I ran after who I thought was our perp and tackled him, it just so happened to be in the middle of a creek." She laughed recalling the memory; she'd been embarrassed as hell when it happened but now looking back at it, it was pretty funny.

"Like jumped on his back and knocked him over?"

"I mean like linebacker style, took him out. Tedy Bruschi would have been proud." Jane confirmed.

Joe was equal parts impressed and annoyed "Wow, you sure got a lot of balls baby, but that could have blown up in your face if that agent had pressed charges or if it had turned out to actually be your perp."

"Yeah I know very well it was a bad idea, but I was tired of being afraid that Hoyt was around every corner waiting to jump out at me, I just wanted him caught and back behind bars. The agent was a surprisingly decent guy though and didn't seem to care about the whole thing. Actually he even asked me out to dinner after the case was over so maybe he was into that sort of thing."

Joe was not amused, he may not have had any claim on Jane when it happened but he did now and he didn't particularly like hearing about other men making a move on his girl. "You didn't take him up on that offer did you?"

Jane cocked her head up at him curiously "Are you jealous Joey?" she hadn't thought he'd be the type to be bothered by such trivial things; she didn't let him linger on the thought for too long. "No, I didn't go out with him but it sure wasn't for lack of trying on his part. It was just the wrong time."

Her admission quelled the green eyed monster stirring just beneath the surface of his emotions. He let out a relieved sigh. "Good, you don't need the FBI, sure I've met some good guys from the Bureau but that doesn't mean I'd trust them with my girl. I'm glad that we made it the right time for us though" he kissed the crown of her head "I'd almost given up hope that you'd ever give me a chance."

"You have nothing to worry about from the FBI, even if he did come back for some reason I've got a perfectly good man right here and I have no plans to replace him anytime soon." Jane turned in his arms and embraced him to emphasize her point.

Her words were reassuring to Joe and he took a moment to just hold Jane close and relish the fact that she was really his and she planned to stay with him for the foreseeable future.

But thoughts of the future had a black cloud forming his mind, if this Hoyt guy could escape once, who's to say he couldn't do it again? With him so far away it would be nearly impossible to get to her in time when something happened, chances are he wouldn't even know _if_ something happened until it was too late. He decided to approach the subject cautiously.

"If something like that ever happens again will you let me know?" he whispered into her neck.

Jane was confused "You mean when guys ask me out? I already told you I'm not leaving you Joey, what more do you want?"

"No, not that." Joe took a deep breath before continuing calmly "If Hoyt, or any other maniac ever comes after you again will tell me? I worry about you Jane, I understand that you can take care of yourself but when situations like that pop up it's not smart to be alone. I know Frost and Korsak have your back but that's not worth much to me if something ever happened to you. If you'll let me I'd like to be there myself."

Jane wasn't used to the hesitance in his usually confident voice. He was genuinely concerned about her safety. She could almost feel the fortifications she naturally built up around her heart start to slip a little more, she pulled back to meet his gaze.

It seemed like it should have been a simple question to answer, but she found it surprisingly difficult to come up with a suitable response.

Did she want to have Joe with her in a time of crisis? Hell yes.

Did she want to disrupt his life and make him fly 450 miles to her every time she was in danger? That was a more hazy area. Danger was part of her job description; she faced it all the time.

But then she thought about the flip side of things and tried to imagine what it would be like if Joe were the one in danger or hurt. If there was something she could do to stop it from happening or to help him recover she was sure as hell going to be there for him. The mere notion of the possibility she wouldn't be made her sick to her stomach. She turned her head away from his pleading eyes.

Jane had her answer even if she was reluctant to give it. "Yes I'll let you know. Just please promise me you won't over react unnecessarily."

He hooked a finger under her chin to raise it up so he could look her in the eyes. "Jane if you have a psychotic murderer after you I think that gives me the right to worry." He said gravely "Now I promise not to come running home every time you get a paper cut or a hang nail but if you ever have a scalpel to your throat again I can damn well guarantee I'll be out on the next flight I can catch. In fact I'd rather be there to prevent that scalpel from getting anywhere near you in the first place if possible."

Jane knew he was dead serious, if their positions were reversed she would be no different. "I can handle that. As long as you promise me the same thing."

"Homeland Security isn't nearly as dangerous as people give it credit for, but I promise you, should anything ever happen to me I will let you know."

"And if you're unconscious or otherwise unreachable?" Jane asked trying to cover all the bases.

Joe thought for a second of who he could trust enough to take on such a task "Patrick, I'll have a talk with him and make sure he knows to call you, since you guys seem to already be such great friends and all." A brief flash of his office passed his mind "How did you manage that office makeover anyway? I know it was your idea but how did you convince him to do the rest? And where in the world did that tiger come from?"

Jane laughed out loud at his interrogation. "A woman has her ways, you aren't the only magician in town" she chuckled to herself and winked at him "You'd be surprised what you can get accomplished with overnight shipping and a house full of small children."

"You're not gonna tell me are you?"

Jane flashed him a big dopey grin. "Nope."

"Fine then, be that way." He huffed. "But who are you going to get to call me if you're unavailable? If you don't plan on telling Korsak or Frost about us they won't know to keep me in the loop."

"Would you mind if I just told Maura to do it? I'm going to fill her in about us anyway and she usually knows as much about our cases as we do and a lot farther from the front lines then any detective. I trust her to make the right judgment call. And I didn't say I'd never tell the others about us, I just don't want to share right now. I'm sure they'll figure it out eventually anyway."

Joe visibly relaxed knowing he'd have someone here he could trust to watch out for Jane and keep an eye on her. There were few people who would care for her well being as much as her best friend and she was a practical woman. It also helped that she couldn't lie so he'd always know she was giving him the whole story not some watered down version. "That would be fine, she's a smart lady, a little freaky but she knows what she's talking about most of the time."

"Yeah she's a genius all right; she always used to tease me about you anyway so I'm sure she won't have a problem making an extra call."

"She teased you?" Joe was surprised Maura was capable of such a feat.

Jane nodded her head reluctantly. "Yeah, she kept telling me that you were sexy and that we were perfect for each other. I think she was as invested in us getting together as my mother was."

Joe's pleased grin rivaled that of the Kool-Aid man. "Wow, she really is smart. I think I like her even more now."

"Hey now, I don't have to worry about you running off with my best friend do I?" Jane smacked his chest playfully.

"No ma'am, I'm a kept man. Maura is a very attractive woman but my heart has already made its decision. You've got nothing to worry about babe." His point was punctuated by a long heated kiss that left them both panting and short of breath when they pulled back from it.

"Ok enough with the serious talk for now, I need some breakfast." Jane declared climbing out of Joe's lap and standing up to stretch.

Joe sat up and enjoyed the unexpected floor show he was getting. Jane just motionless and naked was a treat on its own, Jane _stretching _naked right in front of him was probably the next best thing to sex.

He watched as her delicately arched back pushed her naked breasts closer to him, a hand just itching to reach out and cradle the soft flesh on display. When she bent over to rummage around the floor for her shirt a strangled moan echoed from Joe. "You're killin' me babe." He didn't want to look away but if he didn't he'd be tempted to just drag her back down with him and forgo any plans they had made for the day.

"Sorry, but don't go getting any ideas Casanova, I need sustenance before I fall over and my stomach starts eating itself." Jane found the shirt she'd been looking for and stepped out of his reach towards her kitchen. "Come on, I'll make the bacon if you make the eggs."

Joe gave in and scanned the floor for his boxers before slipping them on and joining her by the stove. They worked in tandem, flipping bacon strips and scrambling eggs and managed not to get in each other's way too much.

After breakfast they found themselves back on her couch. Jane had dug out the sports section of the newspaper and made herself comfortable leaning her back against one arm of the sofa with her feet up on Joe's lap, his left hand absently running up and down her calf. He'd borrowed her computer to check his e-mail and take care of anything he'd missed while away from the office.

He'd only been gone a few days but he still found an alarming number of messages waiting for him in his inbox. By the time he'd managed to get through all of the things that needed his attention Jane had made it through the sports section and moved on to the rest of the paper.

The rest of the morning was a peaceful few hours spent chatting and reading before they had to face reality again. Jane was not looking forward to doing the official parental meet and greet and Joe was only slightly less nervous about it than Jane was.

In the past his mother had only met 2 former girlfriends of his and she hadn't approved of either of them. Logically he knew he didn't need his mother's approval of his love life but it would be nice for her to like Jane at least a little bit. He just hoped that his father was also around for the meeting, he could usually keep his mother in check to a certain degree.

With a great deal of reluctance they both trudged into Jane's room to find suitable clothing for the impending lunch date.

Jane was staring blankly in her open closet door when Joe came up from behind her and wrapped her up in an assuring embrace. With his head resting on her shoulder he looked past her and into the closet as well. "Are you going to go naked? Because as much as I would enjoy that I don't think my mother would appreciate it quite as much."

"Well what am I supposed to wear for things like this? It's been years since I've had to do the parents meet and greet thing." Jane was feeling awkward already and they hadn't even left the apartment yet. "Are you really sure this is necessary? Can't we just write them a nice letter and send her a picture or something?"

"Yes, we have to do this. My mother would skewer me if she knew I was in town, made plans to see her and then didn't follow through on said plans. Besides what could you possibly have to worry about, you've met my mom before."

"Yeah but she hasn't seen me since high school when your sister and I were on the field hockey team together. A lot has happened since then, what makes you think she'll even remember me?"

"I think you underestimate yourself Jane, you're very memorable." Joe tried to assure her. "Besides I'm sure Nikki would like to see you again even if Ma doesn't remember you. Knowing her she probably let her know I was going to be stopping by and invited her also, I wouldn't even be surprised if she made sure Maggie came home from school for the weekend just to meet my new mystery woman."

Jane let out a frustrated sigh "I just can't help but think that they are going to be disappointed when they are expecting this special mystery woman when all they are gonna get is plain old me."

Joe turned her around and made her look him in the eyes "You are not plain, and my mom will be thrilled to see you again I'm sure. Now don't worry about dressing up, we are just going to my house not some fancy restaurant." He turned her back around and playfully swatted her ass as he pushed her further into her closet.

"Okay, I'm going but you owe me big time for this."

"I know, I'll find a way to make it up to you I promise, but we need to get going soon or we're going to be late and my mom is gonna start asking a lot of questions I'd rather she not ask."

Across town at the Grant household Sharon Grant busied herself in the kitchen preparing to meet her son and his new mystery woman. She didn't get to meet many of the women her son had dated over the years; she mostly heard names in passing so she knew this woman, whoever she was, meant something to her son if he was willing to bring her home with him, especially all the way from Washington.

"Hey Ma, is Joey here yet? I don't have all day you know, Jack and I have plans tonight." Her eldest child broke her chain of thought.

"No Nikki, he's not here yet, and you can hush up, you're a writer you can work whenever you want to and that man of yours isn't going anywhere. Please just spend some time with your brother and whoever this new friend of his is, he's not going to be around for much longer so just play nice and help keep me sane through this."

Nicole Grant rolled her eyes "Alright whatever you say Ma, but chances are he's just gonna come strolling in through that door with the same old story, blonde, big boobs and an IQ lower than my dog's. I love Joey but he doesn't always have the best taste in women and once you've met one dumb blonde you've met them all."

"I know honey that's why with your father at work I need you and your sister to be here to help me through this. Where is Maggie anyway? I haven't seen her since she came home last night."

"I think she's up in her room working on a paper. Did you really need her to come home for this too? I mean I'm just across town but she's busy with school."

"I thought she would appreciate seeing her big brother while he was in town for the last time in who knows when. Will you please go get her; they should be here any minute." Sharon directed her daughter.

Nikki disappeared up the stairs to retrieve her wayward sister.

Sharon nervously stared out the window in their family room waiting for the telltale sounds of an approaching car. When a nondescript sedan pulled up on her street behind Nikki's car she braced herself for the impending meeting.

She loved her son, there was no doubt about it but she had been less than pleased with his last few serious relationships. There was always the chance that even though he had already denied it, he'd done something stupid with this new one.

When she saw Joe get out of the drivers side and a brunette exit the passenger side door she was a little bit relieved that at least she wasn't blonde. She watched as Joe came around the car and reassuringly hugged then kissed the woman and grabbed her hand to lead her to the door. When she saw a glimpse of her face she seemed vaguely familiar but she couldn't quite place the face with a name.

She was expecting the knock on the door and was ready with a smile plastered on her face, to let her son into the house.

Nikki was all but pushing Maggie down the stairs as their mother answered the door and they all met relatively in the same area. Nikki noticed the woman next to her brother and made a face. She wasn't what she was expecting; in fact she almost recognized her from somewhere, though a name seemed to be escaping her.

Maggie couldn't have cared less about the whole ordeal. She had a research paper due in her Physiology class next week and she was only half way done with it. If Joe hadn't moved to D.C. she wouldn't even be excited to see him, he'd barely been around the last couple of years anyway. The nearly ten year age difference between them didn't exactly make it easy to have a close relationship with him.

Joe's mother ushered them into the house and towards the couch. He kissed his mother's cheek and accepted the hug she graced him with upon entry. He moved to do the same for his two sisters then noticed the strange looks on his mother's and older sister's faces and figured introductions were in order before they all settled in.

"Ma, this is Jane, you and Nikki might remember her from…"

"Rizzoli?" Nikki interrupted astonished, finally connecting the dots in her head. She knew she looked familiar.

"Hi Nikki," she nodded with a smile. "Mrs. Grant" she held her hand out to shake.

Sharon immediately recognized her and broke out into a relived smile as she took her outstretched hand in both of hers "Oh dear lord Jane, what a surprise, look at you! You've grown up so much; I haven't seen you in years."

"Not since high school graduation" Jane confirmed then turned to Nikki "It's good to see you again Nikki."

Joe leaned in close and whispered in her ear "See I told you they'd remember you."

She and Nikki had played field hockey together since they were in middle school. She had been in the grade above her and Joe and they had been friends through the team. She hadn't regularly come to their house to spend time together since Joe had made such a sport of annoying her but she knew most of the family already. Maggie had been very small the last time she'd seen her though so she doubted she would be getting such a warm welcome from the youngest Grant child.

To say that Nikki was shocked would have been an understatement; she looked down right flabbergasted, she hadn't spoken to Jane in over ten years. "Oh my God, Rizzoli it _is_ you! You mean my dumb ass little brother finally got over himself and asked you out?" She drew Jane up in a big hug to welcome her back into the family.

"Hey!" Joe tried to protest but Jane just smirked at the comment and nudged him in the ribs. "Yeah something like that, it took some creative negotiating but he finally convinced me it was a good idea." She flashed him a smile and let her eyes convey her amusement with the situation.

Sharon was overjoyed, she knew Jane, she knew her whole family and she was most defiantly a step up from the last woman her son had brought home. "Well dear, I'm sure you remember Maggie" she motioned to the girl standing a few steps behind her "Maggie do you remember Jane Rizzoli? I used to take you to her and Nikki's field hockey games all the time when you were little."

"Sorry Mom can't say that I do." She looked her over from head to foot and Jane saw something flicker in her eyes before she rolled them "Nice to meet you." She didn't extend a hand to Jane and she sat about as far away from the whole group as she could on a recliner off to the side of the sofa the other 4 people had settled on.

Jane hadn't been expecting an enthusiastic greeting but the bitter reality of her cold attitude and the fact that she didn't seem to remember her was not a good sign. Jane hadn't even said anything to her yet and it appeared she'd already offended Maggie somehow.

"Hi Maggie, it's nice to see you again too." Jane tried to be polite but Maggie didn't seem to want anything to do with her.

"Can I go now Ma? I have a paper to finish and I just said hello. You obviously don't need me here to keep you company or play peacemaker, you guys seem to be getting along just fine."

Sharon turned an angry glare on her youngest child "Margaret Rose Grant, that is no way to treat your brother or our guest."

"Whatever, I'll be upstairs if you need me" she fled from the room and back up the stairs despite her mother's warning.

Sharon was mortified as she watched Maggie run from the room. She was just about to get up to drag her back downstairs but Nikki beat her to it. "I'll go see what's wrong, you three stay down here and get lunch started I'll be back in a minute." She rose from her spot next to Jane on the sofa and followed her sister's path upstairs.

"I'm so sorry about her dear; she's not usually like this. She's been acting strange lately; I think the stress from school is wearing her down."

"It's ok Mrs. Grant, I have younger siblings too so I know how they can get. It's not a problem, I just hope it wasn't something I said or did." Jane looked to Joe to see if he had any explanation for her Maggie's behavior.

He just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "Well how about we start lunch Ma? I could go for some food."

"You're always hungry dear, just like your father." His mother chided him.

Joe looked a little sheepish but shared a smile with Jane. He weaved their fingers together and pulled her up be their connected hands. "After you" he led her towards the kitchen.

His mother chuckled at his behavior and followed them into the kitchen then told them to continue on to the patio out back. The table was set with glasses and a pitcher of iced tea so Joe let Jane pick a seat then poured four glasses of iced tea and handed one to her before snagging one for himself and claiming the chair next to her.

"What are the chances Maggie is coming back down to join us?" Jane asked, not entirely understanding what she did wrong in the first place.

"I'd say about as much as the Lion's have of winning the Super Bowl." Joe decided.

Those were not very good odds. "I didn't do something to offend her did I? She was like 9 the last time I saw her I can't imagine I would have even paid that much attention to her then."

"Probably not, she can be a brat sometimes, even worse than you." He teased.

Jane smacked him on the arm "Not nice Joey, behave or you'll pay for it later tonight."

Joe wagged his eyebrows at her "You promise?"

Before Jane could answer, his mother emerged from the sliding doors that connected the kitchen to the patio with a platter of food. Joe got up to take the platter from her so she could close the door.

By the time they had everything set up on the patio table Nikki rejoined them from inside. "Sorry about that, she's not talking to me so I figured I'd let her stew by herself and get whatever crawled up her butt out on her own."

"Nikki, don't talk like that about your sister"

Nikki rolled her eyes and took a seat across from Jane. "Sorry Ma, the little angel is being difficult so I let her be difficult by herself." She corrected.

She claimed one of the remaining glasses of iced tea and took a sip before addressing Jane "So what have you been up to? I don't have to ask about significant others I see but what about the rest of your life?"

Joe laid a hand on her knee under the table and let Jane explain the last decade or so of her life while he munched on some fruit and a few pieces of sandwich from the platter of prepared food. He was equally relieved and pleased everything was going so well after the Maggie incident.

When she got to the present time she finished her story with a nod towards Joe "And that's how he ended up with me tagging along with him here today."

"Just the way it should be" Joe insisted, raising her hand up to leave a kiss on the back of it over the scar there.

His mother had a relaxed smile on her face "Well dear it is a relief to see you here today, I was worried when Joey said he had someone he wanted me to meet he'd done something rash. Though I am curious how the long distance part is going to work out for you. You're still a detective here aren't you?"

"Yes ma'am. We're working out the details as we go but his job allows for more travel than mine does so he's most likely going to be back in Boston more often then I'm in Washington. Right Joe?" Jane glanced at Joe for confirmation.

"Yeah, and with frequent flyer miles I can get the flights here and back pretty cheap. I don't mind the traveling, half of my life is still here in Boston anyway" he flicked his eyes between his mother and Jane "I'm not going to let my job get in the way of keeping that."

Nikki watched her brother's interacts with Jane with a knowing smile. She'd suspected that her brother had a crush on Jane since they were younger and she'd caught him doing just about everything but actually pulling her pigtails at any given opportunity. Jane hadn't made a big deal of it to her but she knew how much Joe had tormented her while growing up. She was amazed he'd finally grown some balls and went after her for real.

They looked happy together, if she hadn't known better she would have guessed they had been together for much longer than a month by the way he touched her. But in a way they had been together for longer than that, they had years worth of stories and memories of their shared time. Admittedly most of them weren't very fond memories for Jane since she was usually on the wrong side of Joe's childish antics but the history was there.

She wasn't overly affectionate with Joe or sickly sweet like some of his past girlfriends but she didn't shy away from his touch or seem very bothered when he showed her any little bit of affection in front of them. Jane had never seemed like the lovey dovey kind of person anyway and she could tell by the look in her eyes when she watched Joe that Jane felt something for her brother. If she was really willing to try a long distance relationship with him then it was obvious she liked him more than just a little bit, maybe he'd finally get his happily ever after with her after all. As a writer she was a sucker for happy endings.

They spent awhile catching up, Nikki telling her about her long time boy friend Jack and her career as a writer. They shared old stories about field hockey and the antics that went on amongst the old team and relived all the drama of their adolescence.

Sometime later Jane excused herself to go to the bathroom and Nikki was more than happy to show her the way. They kept chatting as they headed back into the house and closed the door behind them, leaving Joe alone with his mother outside.

She turned to her only son and watched him carefully for a few moments before deciding on what she was going to say. "Well she's certainly not what I had been expecting; she's quite a bit different than your usual type. Jane always was one of my favorite of Nikki's friends though, I'm glad you two are finally getting along. What changed your mind after all those years?"

Joe looked at his mother confused "What do you mean changed my mind?"

"Don't play stupid with me dear, you and I know very well that you used to torture that poor girl. Jane never outright told me but your sister and her were close and she'd sometimes let it slip to Nikki what you did to her and it was never very nice. I thought you didn't like her."

The blush started on his neck and worked it's way all the way up to his face before he responded to her accusations "Come on Ma, kids do those things, it was a lot easier to torment her then tell her I liked her."

"Oh so when Nikki used to tease you about how you liked her and you'd deny it till you were blue in the face that was just you fibbing?"

His face heated up even more "Yes" he squeaked out.

"Good, at least you're enough of a man to admit when you were wrong. Now tell me, how serious are you about her?" She inquired

Joe stared his mother in the eyes without blinking. "As a heart attack. She's important to me Ma, I'm not gonna give her up just because there are a few hundred miles between us."

She studied his serious face as she absorbed his words. "You do realize that long distance relationships very rarely work right dear? They are very hard and extremely stressful. I just don't want to see either of you get hurt. Are you sure you can trust her?"

A sudden flash of red hot anger passed over his eyes and he immediately got defensive. "What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying that you think Jane's gonna cheat on me?" The cold glare he was sending her way could have frozen a fireball "I thought you knew her better than that Ma, and I can't even believe you would accuse her of it."

The intense stare down going on distracted both of them from hearing the sliding doors open just a crack as Nikki stood at the door eavesdropping.

"What makes you so sure of her honey? 450 miles is a long way to be apart from each other and I'm sure you will both get lonely at some point."

Joe's voice raised a few decibels in anger as he argued "Oh so now you're going to accuse me of cheating on her? Your faith in me in astounding, I'm glad we're having this conversation."

"I'm not calling either of you unfaithful I'm merely asking you honestly, how do you see this working out between the two of you with so many uncertainties." She tried to placate her angry son.

"God damn it Mom I love her!" He popped up from his chair with so much force it nearly knocked over behind him "I'm not gonna do anything to screw this up and I'm not gonna let your insecurities break up the best thing that's ever happened to me!" Joe was fuming; he had to get away from his mother before he did something he'd regret.

He stormed away and in his fury he didn't even realize the door was still slightly ajar. He found Nikki and Jane sitting on the sofa talking in the other room. He walked right past them and out the door slamming it behind him.

The second he stepped into the room Jane could tell something was wrong; something had happened while she was gone. She hadn't thought much of it when Nikki had stopped her on her way back outside from the bathroom and redirected her to the living room. Now she had a bad feeling that Nikki knew what all the raised voices were about and was trying to keep her out of it. She didn't hear exactly what had been said but whatever it was they were arguing about clearly had him upset, her stomach suddenly dropped when she realized it must have been about her.

Nikki saw the concern and confusion battle in her eyes as Jane watched her brother storm away.

"Um excuse me for a second, I have to go." Jane quickly excused herself and ran after him.

She was suddenly very glad that her brother had found someone that cared about him enough to chase after him. She retreated in the opposite direction to check on her mother.

Outside Jane found Joe on the front porch steps with his head in his hands heaving deep angry breaths of air.

She didn't have any words to sooth him and right now words were not something he needed anyway. Instead she came up behind him and plopped down on the stair above his. She put one leg on each side of his body and wrapped him up in her arms from behind. As she dropped a light kiss on the back of his neck she felt him shiver as her lips came in contact with his heated skin.

He turned his body enough to grab a hold of her and drag her into his lap. She ended up practically straddling him, his arms tightly wrapped around her and his head buried in her neck while she ran her fingers through his hair with one hand and rubbed his back under his shirt with the other.

They stayed bound together like that until his breathing slowed down and his anger dissipated under Jane's calming touch. Even after his body temperature had returned to normal and his breathing regulated itself he didn't move her from his lap and she made no move to abandon him.

Eventually Nikki cracked open the door and poked her head out to check on them. Jane met her eyes over Joe's shoulder and silently shook her head to Nikki's unvoiced question. He wasn't ready to see anyone right now and she wasn't willing to let anyone disturb him.

Nikki nodded in understanding and quietly closed the door again. Joe really was lucky; the woman he loved was doing a fairly good job of proving she returned the feeling.

Neither knew exactly how long they stayed like that but ultimately it was Joe that finally broke the embrace. His butt was sore from sitting on the wood of the steps and he needed to stand up and stretch his legs. He was very careful to slide Jane off his lap onto the step below him before he stood and shook his legs out.

Jane looked up and watched him as he moved, they still hadn't passed a word between the two of them but she still didn't feel they were necessary yet. He pulled her up to his level and nearly crushed her against his chest. She had trouble breathing for a second then he released her and walked her over to a porch swing off to the side of where they had been sitting. She sat down first and he all but collapsed down on it lengthwise, his head on her lap and feet hanging over the edge.

Jane traced the angles of his face with her one hand let Joe play with her other as he tried to think of something to say. "I don't want to talk about it" he finally broke the silence

"I'm not asking you to." She reminded him calmly.

He didn't have much to say to that so he kept silent for several long minutes. "I don't think this was a good idea"

Jane whipped her head down to stare at him. "Don't you dare say that to me Joe, we've been through too much to just walk away from this now just because of whatever your mother said back there. I'm not going to let you even if you try so don't give me that bullshit."

He sat up and cupped her cheeks in his hands then kissed her. It was full of so much raw emotion and passion it made her dizzy and light headed when he finally pulled back. He rested his forehead against hers.

"I didn't mean us Jane." He took a few ragged breathes and kissed her again. He nibbled on her bottom lip and she opened her mouth to let him sweep his tongue over hers and explore her mouth.

It was Jane who broke the kiss this time and slightly out of breath asked "You mean coming here today?"

Joe just nodded his head in silent acknowledgement and murmured into her hair, "Next time we'll do it your way."

Despite the sullen mood Jane cracked a smile. "I'll remember that next time you ask to do something I don't want to do." She warned.

Joe managed a weak smile for her. "Deal"

"Come on. I want to at least say good bye to your sister and I think you need to say something to your mom. I know whatever she said made you angry but she loves you and she's still your mother." Jane coaxed him up off the porch swing and they braced themselves to go back in the house.

When they walked through the door Nikki was waiting for them on the sofa on the other side and she pointed back towards the kitchen and the patio door where his mother sat looking very pale and as though she'd been crying.

Jane was going to let Joe clear the air with his mother alone but he laced their hands together and drew strength from the bond. She didn't put up a fight when he pulled her outside with him and just stood by quietly as he approached his mother.

He stood in front of her and waited for her to acknowledge his presence. When she noticed his shoes and looked up at him with watery eyes Joe almost broke down.

"Joey I'm so sorry, I didn't mean…"

He squeezed Jane's hand and interrupted her before she said something he wasn't sure he wanted Jane to hear "Ma, what's said is said, it's in the past now. But I don't care what you think, I meant what I said and nothing you say will change that. We're going now, I'll let you know next time I'm in town." He bent down and kissed her cheek then made a hasty retreat indoors.

Jane let go of his hand and tried to push him towards the stairs when they passed them by on the way out. "Go say goodbye to Maggie, I know she misses you, I'll stay down here with Nikki and say goodbye."

Joe was reluctant to leave her alone but he agreed and took the stairs two at a time to get up them faster.

He stopped outside Maggie's closed door and knocked. He didn't get a response so after a minute he tried again. He could hear her music playing in the background through the door and knew she was still in there working, she only listened to music while she was studying or writing a paper. Resigned to the fact that yet another woman in his family was unhappy with him today he gave up trying to get her to open the door and just decided to talk to her through it instead.

"Maggie I know you're in there and if you don't want to see me that's ok. I just wanted to say good bye before I left. I don't know why you don't like Jane but please just give her a chance, she's important to me and so are you. I just want you to get along. I love you Maggie, good bye until next time little one."

He backed away from the door and turned to head back down the stairs, his echoing footfalls the only trace that he'd been there at all.

Behind her door Maggie Grant was sitting down with her back to the door listening to her brother's words. When she heard him say I love you and call her little one she started crying. He hadn't called her that in a long time.

By the time she'd cracked open her door to see him he'd already disappeared down the stairs.

Joe somberly made his way back down the steps and to Jane and his remaining sister. He kissed her on the cheek and gave her a hug. "Thank you for not hating me today Nikki, I really needed that."

Nikki hugged him harder and whispered in his ear. "They love you Joey, all three of them."

He pulled back startled and just stared at his older sister.

"I love you too Joey." She said out loud for Jane's benefit.

"Now get out of here, take Jane out somewhere fun and don't forget to call me when you're back in town. Next time Jack and I will take you guys out and we can go out somewhere a little less dramatic."

Nikki hugged Jane one last time then led them to the door. "You have my number right Rizzoli? We can hang out a bit without my pain in the ass brother to get in the way and cause trouble."

Jane managed a half hearted laugh for her "Yeah I got it, it'll be just like to old days just with more alcohol I'm sure."

"Amen to that sister." Nikki answered "And don't be a stranger, I know where to find you now so don't think you can sneak off for another ten years."

Jane rolled her eyes and smiled "I wouldn't dream of it."

Nikki closed the door behind them and they both silently made their way back to Jane's car. Joe wasn't in the mood to drive so Jane took the wheel and steered them back to her apartment.

It was a very quiet ride that turned into a very quiet homecoming when they finally made it back. Jane didn't want to push him and tried to give him some time to cool down by himself but Joe didn't seem to want to leave her alone so they compromised and ended up taking the newly dubbed just Friday out for a long walk through Boston Common. Joe could still have his quiet time but she'd be right there next to him in case he needed to talk about something.

With their hands entwined and a happy dog trotting out in front of them they enjoyed the fresh air and the light shade the trees lining the walking paths provided from the afternoon sun. When they came across a pond they found a bench overlooking the water and paused for awhile to watch the ducks. Joe put his arm around her shoulders and Jane let the hand not holding the leash rest on his leg. As a small bunch of the web footed birds waddled past them and peaked Friday's interest Jane couldn't help but smile as her dog tried to follow after them.

They hadn't exchanged many words during the outing so Jane was surprised when Joe suddenly decided to speak up "They like you."

Jane cocked her head to the side slightly "The ducks?"

"Them too" Joe graced her with a gentle smile "I meant my family."

"Well I'd agree with you on Nikki and possibly your mother but I don't think I'd win any popularity contests with Maggie and I'm not even sure your father even knows who I am."

"Believe me; my dad knows who you are. He never forgets a face and he saw yours enough during sporting events to make an impression. Besides all you really have to do is mention the Celtics or the Patriots and he'll be your best friend for life anyway. Maggie just needs some time to warm up to you."

Although she didn't really believe him Jane gave him the benefit of the doubt. "If you say so, you know her better than I do."

She tried to steer the conversation away from the afternoon's events "So what do you want to do tonight? Since it's your last night here I'm willing to do pretty much anything you want."

Joe raised a single eyebrow at her offer "Anything?"

"As long as it's legal and nobody ends up getting hurt." She amended

Joe laughed at her correction "Spoil sport"

"Hey one of us still has a job in law enforcement remember? I don't go around asking you to smuggle me top secret information about our nation's security, so you can play by the rules for a few days while you're in town got it?" The stern glare she sent him didn't quite have the desired effect; it mostly just made him laugh harder.

"Alright you twisted my arm, we'll do something boring and totally law abiding. How about a good old fashioned dinner and a movie night?"

"At home or out?"

Joe took a minute to consider both options "Definitely out, much less chance of you falling asleep on me again and much greater probability of me convincing you to wear another dress for dinner."

"And what makes you think I have another dress to wear even if there was a way to convince me to wear it?" Jane questioned him, mentally running through her wardrobe to see if she actually did have something appropriate.

Joe scoffed at the notion "Oh come on babe, every girl has more than one going out outfit, even you."

"Don't get smug just because you happen to be right this time, it was bound to happen eventually."

Joe feigned hurt "That stings babe, right here" he threw his other hand up to cover his heart dramatically.

"Didn't I warn you about that? It's a hazard of the position." She patted his leg affectionately "I'll get you some Tums to fix that right up."

"Ah yes, and there's the woman I adore so much. It's a wonder I ever go home and leave you at all."

"You know if you hadn't gone and gotten yourself a job 450 miles away you probably wouldn't go home. Seems like a pretty poor decision now doesn't it?" She teased quirking up her lips in a grin.

"When the government offers me a promotion then says go, I go. I didn't choose where headquarters are I just report where they tell me to. If I had my way I would be running things out of Boston and be commuting to D.C. when they needed me. Unfortunately nobody listens to the little guy on the totem pole."

Jane leaned over to kiss his cheek. "I know, it's not your fault. It's just easier to blame you then the entire governing body of the country keeping me safe and giving me the laws that I get paid to uphold everyday to make myself feel better about the situation. If it makes you feel any better I'm even farther down on that totem pole than you are, you're a mid level little guy."

"Yeah that makes me feel so much better baby, thank you." He chuckled some more and returned her kiss on the cheek. "Come on let's get going, I'll even let you decide what kind of restaurant I'm dragging you out to."

"How could a girl say no to an offer like that?" She allowed him to help her up from the bench and didn't fuss when he pulled her in close with his arm around her waist as they walked back towards her apartment.

After conceding to Joe's earlier specifications and slipping on a slinky turquoise dress that had been hiding forgotten in the back of her closet for several months she insisted that they head for the Thai place a few blocks away from the movie theatre.

It was still relatively early so the restaurant wasn't very crowded when they were shown to a cozy little table for two near the back.

Dinner was an animated affair, filled with small talk and spells of hushed laughter and playful smiles. Jane took every opportunity to steal bits of Joe's garlic shrimp when she thought he wasn't looking and Joe made it a point to not be paying too close attention to his food so she could get away with it.

They declined dessert in favor of getting to the theatre earlier and made the trek to go catch whatever happened to be playing that night.

Upon their arrival they stood off to the side of the ticket sales booth to pick what they were going to see. The romantic comedy and grisly horror movie options were quickly vetoed which left either the Sci-Fi action flick or a questionable comedy. They decided that the action flick was the safest bet so Joe bought two tickets and after a quick stop at the concessions stand for a soda and a box of candy to split, they settled down towards the back of the dark theatre to enjoy the movie.

As far as action movies went it was decent enough for their tastes but they doubted it would be getting any awards for movie of the year. They discussed it while walking back to the car to head home.

"The thing I don't understand is what kind of weapons were they claiming to be using? I have never seen a hand held weapon make a sound like that or do so much damage. How do they expect me to take that seriously?" Jane complained

Only Jane would have honed in on the weapons aspect being unrealistic as apposed to any other blatant fabrications of reality. He flashed her a teasing smile "I don't think you're supposed to analyze it so closely babe, it's mostly just for effect. You know, louder booms, bigger explosions it's what makes the movie entertaining."

"I'm just saying that if the plot is going to be so unrealistic they should have at least made something believable. Those guys never would have taken so many guys down on their own."

Joe could only shake his head in defeat "Maybe we should have gone for the comedy after all."

When they made it back to the apartment later that night Jane ambushed him on his way out of her bathroom and pinned him up against the other wall of the hallway.

Her voice was like honeyed gravel as she whispered in his ear "If I'm not mistaken I think you owe me a favor or two for going along with you today."

She ran a hand down his chest fingering the buttons of his shirt. Her hand came to rest on his belt buckle and he inhaled sharply only to release a groan when she dropped that hand a few inches and caressed him through his pants.

"Never let it be said that I don't pay my dues" Joe choked out, his breathing quickening at her touch. "Shall we move this party to the bedroom?"

"Mmm, what a great idea." She kissed the side of his neck then bit down softly. "I knew I kept you around for something"

Joe pushed off from the wall and caught her lips in a teasing kiss of what was to come as he backed her up down the hallway to her bedroom and kicked the door shut behind them.

Neither would reemerge for several hours.

* * *

Most of Sunday was spent wearing as few clothes as possible and finding as many places in her apartment they could that they hadn't christened yet (and a few they had). They both knew in a few short hours Joe would have to walk away from her again and get back on a plane, they didn't want to waste any of the precious little time they had left together until next month.

To satisfy their physical needs they made sandwiches when their stomachs protested being empty and took catnaps when one or both of them were too exhausted to keep up the rigorous activities but it was their emotional needs that were harder to ignore.

He didn't want to have to leave her.

She had finally admitted to herself she didn't want to let him leave.

They were both on the verge of letting a few words slip out that might change their relationship entirely.

In the end only variations of the actual feelings they harbored were voiced, the cheap substitutes filled the voids in place of "I love you" or "Move to Washington with me, so I don't have to leave you" since neither could actually gain enough courage to break the ice with such precarious topics.

The crux of the matter for him was that she had an established life in Boston; her job was here, along with her family, her dog and all her friends. Joe had no idea if she cared about him enough to forfeit all of that just for him. It would be one hell of a sacrifice for her.

He knew her well enough to know that even if she wanted to, she wouldn't ask him to quit Homeland Security and move back north just for her, it was his career and she above all else knew what that meant in their world. It wasn't just a steady income; it was a way of life.

Ultimately it would have to be her decision to follow him to Washington if it ever happened and he really didn't want to force her into anything but it would make things so much simpler for both of them if she did.

Too bad he was too much of a coward to suggest it.

During a lull in their afternoon sexcapades Joe laid on his side running a hand down Jane's naked back while she dozed on her stomach in bed beside him. His hands had grown accustomed to touching her soft skin and naturally gravitated towards the spots he knew would draw a favorable reaction from her. When the tickling of his fingers finally roused Jane from her sleep she rolled over to share a meaningful gaze.

"Hey," her sleepy smile melting his heart just a little bit "I know that look Joey, what you are thinking about?"

"Who said I had to be thinking about anything in particular?" He ran his thumb across her cheek lovingly "Maybe I'm just thinking what a wonderful day it is, or how unbelievably sexy you look with your hair all mussed up like that." To prove his point he threaded his fingers through her rumbled hair.

"Nice try Joey, but you're not fooling me. What's really on your mind?" The concern shimmering in her eyes was hard to ignore.

"I don't want to go back to Washington tonight" He finally admitted.

"I know, I don't want you to go either but it's just how things have to be right now. We both knew when we started this thing we'd have to do this. Your life is in D.C. now; you can't just drop that and forget about it." Jane reminded him

"Half my life" Joe was quick to correct her "Half my life is in D.C., my job and my stuff is there but they always say home is where the heart is and that's still right here in Boston."

Jane was silent as she absorbed his words before sharing her own "Do you ever wonder what it would have been like if you hadn't taken the job? If you were still here all the time?"

"I imagine we would still be at each other's throats everyday and dancing around our feelings. We probably would have pissed so many people off with our bickering that someone higher up would have reassigned one of us, most likely you since you are technically lower ranked than me, and you would be miserable and bitter not being able to work homicide. Then we would go back to the way it was before I got promoted and we never talked to each other except to insult the other person and wallowed in the possibilities of what could have been but never would happen." He kissed her on the nose sweetly to soften his harsh perceptions "I much prefer the reality."

"You really think so? You don't think this wouldn't have happened eventually anyway?" Jane was honestly curious to hear his interpretation.

"No, I don't think we would have ended up in the same situation at all. If I hadn't left I wouldn't have had a good enough reason to ever get enough courage to confront you and you are way too stubborn for me to believe you ever would have even thought about giving me a chance if I hadn't kissed you first. Not to mention that I would have still been your commanding officer and it would have been a political nightmare at work for us if anyone found out about it. It probably would have been horribly detrimental to both our careers, not to mention an IA investigation and reprimands on both our vests. That is not something I would have risked even for you babe, as much as I would have wanted to." Joe paused for a second to let that really sink in before reconsidering.

"Truthfully, maybe I would have eventually caved and tried to convince you we were a good idea but then we would have had to keep it secret and I wouldn't be able to take you out around town or introduce you to my family or hell even walk your dog without constantly being on guard about whether anyone saw us or suspected anything. The best it would have been was a few late nights of wild sex and awkward morning afters. That's not the kind of relationship I would ever want with you Jane and it wouldn't be fair to either of us.

We may be keeping it on the down low right now as per your request but if we're seen together anywhere holding hands or I kiss you in front of the station it's not going to kill your career. That's what we deserve, I don't want to have to hide you from anyone, I want to be free to let the world know we're happy together.

I hate that I had to leave and that Washington is so far away but I can't help but think that it was a blessing in disguise. It gave me the chance to have you in my life the way I always wanted but could never act on. By taking me farther away from you it actually brought us closer together and I'm thankful for that no matter how ass backwards it sounds."

Jane was uncharacteristically demure during his explanation. Although she didn't want to believe it, there was probably more truth to his words then she'd like to admit. They wouldn't have ended up anywhere they wanted to be if he'd stayed. The residual Catholic in her supplied the most fitting phrase she could have imagined for the situation, _God works in mysterious ways_.

"You're probably right, that doesn't sound like anything I would want to get involved in. Let's just stick with the present and not think about what would have been, I'm kind of fond of where I am right now." In a rare moment of insecurity brought on by the possible alternate outcomes she could have been living she snuggled in close to Joe and hugged him like there was no tomorrow.

"Me too baby, me too."

As the evening grew closer they grew more reluctant to move even though they both knew they had to. As Joe packed up his bag Jane made sure to sneak a few of his shirts and a pair of his boxers out of his eye sight so she could keep them around for pajamas or for the occasional lonely day when she just wanted something of Joe's since she couldn't physically have him there all the time. She doubted he'd even notice their absence until he was already too far away to do anything about it.

When it was time to actually drive him back to the airport Jane reluctantly got her keys and followed him out the door. The ride to Logan International was quiet and intense, there were so many things left unsaid between the two but neither were willing to broach the subject. Instead of just dropping him of in front of his terminal she found a spot in the short term parking lot and walked in with him as far as she could go.

When they reached the security line Jane suddenly pulled him off to the side. She surprised him by initiating a hungry open mouthed kiss right in out in the open for any passer by to stop and gawk at.

Joe drank in the kiss as much as he could and when he finally reluctantly broke the kiss to catch his breath he laid a final kiss to her forehead and whispered his farewell to her "Good bye for now baby, I'm gonna miss you so much."

"Not goodbye Joey, just until next time. I'm gonna miss you too but just remember, you're my man Joey, above all else you're my man and I'm your girl. "

"Yeah I'm not liable to forget that." He graced her with his best charming smile before he had to step away from her to join the line to catch his flight on time.

"Call me when you get back?" she asked of his retreating form.

"The second I'm back through my door" he promised, looking back over his shoulder at her.

Then for the second time in his life, Joe Grant walked away from the woman he loved to board a plane to Washington D.C. and his heart ached even more this time around.

Jane turned away and slowly made it back to her car. When she got there she pulled out her phone to make a call.

"Rizzoli residence"

"Hi, Ma it's me."

Angela Rizzoli was always happy to hear from her children "Are you still coming to the house for dinner tonight Jane? I'm making lasagna."

"I'll try to be there but I'm not feeling so good so I might be late if I make it at all, don't wait for me to start eating."

If her unusual monotone voice hadn't given her away Angela would have known something was wrong with her daughter the second she passed up on her homemade lasagna, it had been one of Jane's favorites since she was little. "Are you gonna be ok? Do you need to go to the doctor? I can come over and make you some chicken soup."

"Nah Ma don't worry about it, I'll get over it. I just didn't want to worry you or Pops by not showing up for dinner. Save me a piece if I don't make it over tonight will you?"

"Alright, try to get some sleep and drink lots of fluids. You work way too much Jane it's not good for you." Angela scolded her daughter.

"Yeah I know Ma, you tell me that all the time. I promise I will go home and lie down right away."

"You're not already home?"

Jane sighed heavily and let her dead drop back on her head rest. "No, I had to drop a friend off at the airport, but I'm on my way home now so I have to go."

Angela was used to being dismissed by her children but Jane's lacked her usual spunk. "Fine, you get yourself better and I'll call you tomorrow to check up on you."

"Thanks Ma, love ya."

"Love you too Jane, feel better."

Jane hung up her phone then made her way back to her apartment. When she trudged through her door she only had the smallest amount of energy to pick up little Joe Friday and carry her into her bedroom with her. She deposited her dog on the bed and left her phone by the bedside table then stripped down out of her clothes and into her secret stash of Joe's confiscated clothes.

Snuggled up under blankets in a bed that still smelled like him Jane tried to clear her mind of everything. Joe Friday walked up the bed to her side and licked her face once then laid down next to her head content to share the space with her favorite person. Jane reached out and pet the little bundle of fur until she heard light doggie snores indicating she'd fallen asleep. It was strange to be in her bed without Joe in it now, it felt empty and far too big for just one person. She stared at her walls blankly in an effort to distract herself from his absence.

An eternity later, the ringing of her phone gave her something else to focus on so she rolled over to answer the offending object.

"Rizzoli"

"Hey baby, I got back alright and I'm missing you already." It was a comfort to hear his voice even if it was back to just being over the phone.

"Ok, try to get some sleep and have a good day at work tomorrow. Tell Patrick hello for me." Jane tried to sound as upbeat as she could.

"I'm sure he'll love that, I'll be certain to pass along the message."

There was a long pause then Jane surprised them both with her next words "We're gonna make it through this right?"

"Yeah baby, were gonna be just fine, as long as we have each other we'll make it even 500 miles apart." Joe reassured her and himself.

She felt a smile creep up over her face and knew he was telling her the truth. They would be ok; they just had to stick together.

"Alright Joey, I have to get to bed and somehow find a way to fall asleep without your extra body heat next to me and I'm not looking forward to it." She confessed "Joe Friday is just not a suitable substitution."

Joe chuckled softly to her "I should hope not, then you wouldn't need me any more and that would be a tragedy."

"Shakespeare himself would shed a tear I'm sure." Jane agreed mockingly.

"But seriously babe, try reading a book, have a nice bath and take a look in your closet before you go to bed. It'll work wonders for you I promise."

"Why? What's in my closet?"

"It's a surprise. Now go relax and get some sleep. I miss you."

"I miss you too Joey, I'll call you tomorrow after work."

"Until then baby, good night." The dial tone sounded in her ear for a few moments before Jane finally hung up.

She dragged herself out of bed and swung open her closet door.

Inside sitting on the floor was the stuffed tiger that she'd sent him (minus the hat and sun glasses) wrapped in the shirt she'd popped the buttons off of their first night together. Around its neck was a leather corded necklace with a pendant of a tiger lily. Between its paws sat a box of Hershey's Goodnight kisses and another box of Goodnight hugs hot cocoa mix.

She put the necklace on her dresser for safe keeping and grabbed the tiger that had picked up a vague hint of Joe's smell from his shirt and brought it to her kitchen with her while she boiled some water to make her hot chocolate.

With her warm cup of cocoa and the tiger as her new bed mate she settled in and waited to fall asleep. It was well past midnight before she finally drifted off with her nose buried in the stuffed toys fur.

* * *

A/N: That's it for this chapter, I promise next chapter will get back on track with the episode tags. This one was just too long if I added episode 5 in at the end and I don't want to annoy people with obnoxiously long chapters. For anyone looking for a little more lovin' I'm sorry it didn't really happen in detail here but I'm way too tired to write the good stuff decently and you guys deserved something to read. There will be plenty more chances for that later. In case anyone was wondering Tedy Bruschi is a linebacker for the New England Patriots. Sorry with my random sports references. Also Boston Common is a big park in Boston, it's like 50 some acres of open space and walking paths so I'm taking the liberty of making Jane live close enough to it to walk there. Thanks for reading and I'd love to hear from anyone who's got the time to let me know how how I'm fairing so far.


	6. Chapter 6

Here we go, back again. This chapter contains an episode tag to 1x05 "Money for Nothing". Some of the dialogue is straight from the episode so if it sounds familiar that's why. I had a few people comment that they liked the long chapters so I indulged them with another long chapter for you all. I hope you enjoy it; it was a duzzie to get it all out. My apologizes to anyone who is paying enough attention to find all my mistakes, I'm sure there are a few but I'm still beta-less so it's bound to happen. Thank you to all who reviewed or wished me a happy birthday, I enjoyed it a lot :-)

**Disclaimer:** No I don't own them, or the show but if I did you can bet your ass I'd have Donnie Wahlberg back on that show next season waiting by Jane's hospital bed so he'd be the first thing she sees when she wakes up, because everyone knows you can't kill off Jane...

* * *

The blaring of her alarm clock woke Jane up from her dreamless slumber Monday morning. She was a bit sluggish getting up and ready for work but she managed it with enough time to spare to stop for some coffee on her way in to the station.

When she walked in the squad room and found Korsak already at his desk she greeted him "Hey Korsak"

"Jane" he nodded his head to acknowledge her greeting "So how was your long weekend? Did you have an exciting mini vacation with your special friend?"

"Are you still hung up on that? How do you know I didn't just take the weekend off so I could catch up on some sleep or something?" She challenged, sinking down into her chair and turning on her computer.

Korsak only had to take one look at her to know she was lying "Considering the bags under your eyes I'd say you're full of shit, you look like you didn't sleep much at all, at least not last night."

"Wow, you really know how to sweet talk a girl don't you? It amazes me you're still single."

"Can't say the same for you anymore can I though? Or are you going to try to deny that you and company were in the park on Saturday hanging out by the pond?"

Jane froze midway into taking a sip of coffee; she hadn't expected to be called out on this quite yet "I don't know why you would think I'd deny that, it's a free country you know and it was a nice day." She took a big gulp of coffee to give her a few extra seconds to recover, there was still a very small chance he hadn't recognized Joe "Joe Friday likes the ducks."

Korsak laughed out loud at that, his eyes twinkling with amusement at what he was about to say "Yeah I bet she does. I wonder where she got a fondness for things that have a tendency to fly south, must have picked it up from her master."

Any hope that he hadn't figured out who she'd spent her weekend with suddenly disintegrated and drifted away. She was caught.

"Maybe I'd never realized I liked ducks so much until I found one under the right circumstances. You got a problem with that?"

Korsak knew better than to push Jane too much about personal things like this, if she felt cornered she would have no problem lashing back at him. "No, no problems, as long as this development didn't happen until after the migration. A little surprised maybe but I can see why you might be drawn to them; they do have such nice feathers."

Jane felt a smile forming on her lips before she could stop herself "Surprised me too, I'm starting to believe that's not always a bad thing."

"I hear they make great pets, but I bet they are a little wet behind the ears with a lot of things, you know with their heads always under the water and all." He couldn't help but take a few digs at the man; he had essentially been given his promotion after all.

"Hey now, back off my duck. He's completely competent in every way that counts."

"I hope that is the end of that line of thought, I don't need to hear about mating season." Korsak cringed; he had no desire to hear the nitty gritty details.

Jane merely laughed at his expression; it was fun to see him squirm "You started it." She pointed out.

"Yeah and now I'm finishing it too." Korsak turned back towards his computer to pull up an old case file.

Jane chuckled and turned back to her own work, she'd won that round. The easy smile on her face lingered even after the conversation was clearly over.

Maybe it wasn't so bad he'd caught them, it meant one less awkward explanation she'd have to face later.

It came as a bit of a surprise when a few minutes later he addressed her again. "You seem happy"

She glanced up to find him studying her intently from his desk. "I am" she confirmed

"Good, I'm glad you found someone that will understand the job and accept you for who you are. Not all _ducks_ will do that, especially in our line of work."

"I know. I've had my share of bad eggs over the years. I've got high hopes for this one."

The conversation was interrupted by Frost when he walked through the door and right between them to get to his desk. "Hey guys, what are we talking about today?"

"Ducks" they answered simultaneously sharing a knowing smile.

Frost was totally lost and looked between the two for an explanation "Huh? I missed something didn't I?"

"Maybe if you'd been on time you wouldn't be so confused. Ever hear of a watch?" Korsak diverted the conversation back to safer topics for which Jane was eternally grateful.

"Yeah I have one; it's probably nicer than yours too. I had some car trouble this morning." Frost explained as he sank down on his chair to get ready for another day at work.

He shouldn't have bothered; the phone on Jane's desk rang to let them know they had a new case.

"Come on Frost we can take my car, 2 dead bodies down town." They gathered their guns and badges and filed out of the station to their crime scene.

Although they spent the rest of the day on the case it was a surprisingly simple outcome, a straight up murder suicide situation with a young troubled couple. It was still gruesome to see but Jane was a little relieved it wasn't an intense case. The Monday blues were worse than normal when coupled with Joe's recent departure.

She just wanted to go home, toss back a bottle of beer and call her man. It would be a surefire way to cheer her up and keep her going for the rest of the week.

When the time came to clock out for the day Jane was quick to retreat from the station and back to her apartment to do just that.

She was in no mood to cook so she ordered a pizza from her favorite place and grabbed a beer from the fridge.

Reclining comfortably on her couch with a cold beer in hand she hit a familiar speed dial on her phone and waited for the call to connect.

After two rings she was finally greeted by a voice she'd wanted to hear all day. "Grant"

Jane let out a small contented sigh "Hey you, you done with work yet?"

"Hi babe, technically speaking yes, but I'm staying a little late to catch up on some back logged stuff from last week. It's not something I can't do some other time though if you're gonna give me a good excuse to stop for today."

"I'm not sure it qualifies as a good excuse but I just got off from work so I thought I'd see what you were up to."

Joe leaned back in his office chair and smiled "That's a good enough reason for me. How was your day?"

"Pretty calm actually. Other than a clean cut murder suicide this morning the rest of the day was rather tame which is what I really needed today. I had trouble falling asleep last night, so I might not have been as sharp as usual" Jane admitted

"Hmm the hot cocoa didn't help?"

"It did a little but it wasn't what I really needed. I got spoiled the last few days, I need some time to adjust back to my old habits since _someone_ decided to have a job so far away and had to jump ship and leave me all on my own."

Joe frowned even though he knew Jane wouldn't see it. "You know that's not by choice babe, maybe if you'd just build me a teleportation device we could straighten this all out."

"Yeah let me get right on that, it's on my list of things to do just after world peace and finding a cure for cancer." Jane snarked back

"That's quite an impressive list, am I on there anywhere or should I start looking for a new girlfriend now? It sounds to me like you're pretty busy; you might not have time for me anymore."

"Don't you dare, you're in the top 5 but if you keep that up I can always drop you down a few notches."

"Only top five? What beat me out, vacuuming the floors?

The jovial chuckle Jane let out carried over the phone line and caused a smile to replace the frown on Joe's face "Um, in no particular order I'd say breathing, eating, sleeping and working. But a girl's gotta survive right? Maybe you can battle the job for fourth place but the Boston Police Department is pretty big, you might be a little out numbered."

"Nah, I'll just sick the entire department of Homeland Security on them and I'll carry you off to have my way with you. I can respect your other three choices though, you wouldn't be nearly as pretty if you didn't eat, sleep or breathe."

Jane feigned shock "You mean you wouldn't still like me if I were an anorexic insomniac?"

"I'd really rather just keep you the way you are if that's ok with you. You have that really hot athletic thing going for you. I like a woman with enough muscle to be able to kick my ass but who chooses to use it for better purposes. Then I don't have to be self-conscious about being too rough with you. "

"Believe me Joey, it takes a whole hell of a lot of force to be too rough for me to handle, I think you're safe. I'm also pretty sure you never have to worry about the anorexic bit either, _I _like food way too much, which is why I try to keep up with that athletic thing _you_ like so much, so my ass doesn't grow and take over the city."

The mental image Joe's brain treated him to had him laughing out loud. "Baby I think I'd still like you even if your ass turned into the Marshmallow Man."

"That's extremely comforting, but let's hope it never gets to that magnitude, I'd have to cuff myself to a chair and not eat for like a week. That just sounds like something I would not enjoy doing."

"You could just lock yourself in the gym instead, I'm sure a week on an elliptical would do wonders for subduing a monster ass hell bent on attacking the city." His voice subtly laced with a playful innuendo the farther his little fantasy played out "Then I could watch you get all hot and sweaty while you worked out and I could drag you back to the showers afterwards."

"Anyone ever told you you're kinda gross Joey? Women do not feel sexy when they are covered in sweat."

Joe readily filled her in on his thoughts on the subject "Honestly it doesn't matter if you feel sexy or not, you still _look _sexy as hell."

Jane detected a slight hitch in his breathing and the slightest change in his voice "Are you doing what I think you're doing?" she teased.

"If you think I'm trying very hard to stay professional while I'm in my office with the door open and thinking of you running around in short shorts and a sports bra then yes. I'm doing exactly what you think I'm doing. It's kinda hard not to."

Her mood was vastly improving and it seemed she was feeling particularly devilish tonight "Well it sounds like that's not the only thing that's hard. You need a hand Joey?"

"God baby please don't do this to me now." He shuddered as her gravely voice whispered in his ear over the phone. "If I was at home I'd be happy to indulge you as much as you wanted but I really can't here in the office as much as I'm dying to."

"If you were at home I wouldn't need a phone to be making such suggestions, you'd already be on your back screamin' my name."

Joe's breathing turned into a rapid succession of shallow inhalations and quick exhales "Jesus Jane" he paused and tried to choke back a groan "you know what I meant. Anywhere but in my office baby, _please_."

"Now who's the spoil sport?" She mocked "When was the next time you said you were coming home again?"

Something in Joe's brain was malfunctioning; he couldn't seem to focus quite right. It probably had something to do with the fact that a good deal more of his blood was rushing south than north to his head. "Ah, two weeks?"

"Was that a question or a statement?"

"Statement" Joe clarified "I'm trying to arrange my schedule so I can have Fridays off on a semi-permanent basis. It will mean coming in a little earlier and staying a little later the rest of the week but I'd be home with you in time for bed on Thursday nights. How does that sound?"

"About as close to perfection as I can think of right now." Jane answered honestly "Are you sure you're gonna be able to do that?"

He'd already talked to his boss about the possibility so it really wasn't an issue but Jane didn't know that. "Yeah I think I'll be able to swing it. We might have to push back our nightly calls to accommodate the new schedule but I think it'll be worth it don't you?

"Absolutely"

"I know you're taking extreme joy in torturing me like this baby and I hate to ruin your fun but could we maybe find a safer subject? I need to calm down before I can even contemplate getting up to leave."

He swore he could hear her smirk through the phone "Hmm, I guess we could do that, but what to talk about?" she took a moment to think.

"Well I suppose you should know that Korsak figured us out."

Joe was surprised that she would have let him know before anyone else. "What do you mean figured us out? Did you tell him?"

"No, not directly, although I guess you could technically say that we both did. He saw us together on Saturday."

"At the movies or the restaurant?" It didn't really matter to Joe either way but he was curious where Korsak had managed to spot them.

"Neither actually, he saw us in the park with Joe Friday; he must have been out doing his Detective Doolittle duties or something."

She wasn't being very talkative about the encounter "Did he seem bothered or give you a hard time?" If he did Korsak was in for a world of pain next time he was in town.

"Nah, he was surprised but he said he was happy for us. He didn't seem to think it was that much of a big deal. I'm sure he'll hold it over Frost's head for as long as he can though, those two bicker worse then an old married couple sometimes, I really don't understand it."

"Think about it Jane, one is your former partner and one is your current partner. They are both fiercely loyal to you and willing to do anything to protect you. It's probably just hard for them to share you between them. They both want to be there for you in a professional sense to prove their worth but they know ultimately they have to split the responsibility. I know I'd have a problem if I had to share you with another man so I can sympathize with them."

"Well stop thinking about it, cause it's not gonna happen. Unless you count my brothers and my father you won't ever have to share me with another guy."

"Even Korsak and Frost?" Joe countered

"Work partners don't count; too many ego issues and I don't fish off the company pier."

Joe had to stifle a chuckle at that one "At least not anymore"

"Oh shut up, you had already taken the D.C. job when we started this so by my calculations you were already out of company waters. Besides, I knew you long before either of us were cops."

"And you won't hear me complaining about your choice, I just thought I would point that little tidbit out."

She was a bout to make another snippy comment when she got disrupted by a knocking on her door. "Hold that thought, my dinner is here" she held her phone against her shoulder to muffle any outside noises.

She opened the door and greeted the familiar pizza boy, the high school kid had been delivering her pizzas for the last two years and he was always happy to see her.

"Hey Jane, I've got your usual." He greeted her with a big smile.

"Thanks Logan, you're a rock star." Jane passed him a twenty and told him to keep the change. They exchanged a few more pleasant words and he turned away back down the hall towards the exit.

She carried the pizza over to her coffee table and dropped it next to her empty beer bottle. "Sorry about that but I had absolutely no inclination to cook tonight so I had to resort to something else since my live in Iron Chef fled back to Washington."

"I thought you said I wouldn't have to share you with anyone else, who is Logan?"

She headed for the kitchen to grab a few napkins and another beer before resettling herself on the couch and laughing. "Relax, he's just the pizza guy. He's a nice kid; he's trying to save up for college."

"What did you swap life stories or something?"

"No, I just order a lot of pizza from them. I think you probably saw him that first time you came over and I just didn't introduce you because I didn't think it was a big deal."

Joe wasn't really looking to start a fight so he backed off before anything could escalate "Alright I believe you. I guess I should let you go though, I don't want you to have to eat cold pizza."

"It's not a big deal but I suppose we could call it a night. You can get back to whatever you were working on before I interrupted you."

"Nah, I'm headed back to my place. I'll finish this stuff up later." She heard the shuffling of papers and a rustling that was most likely his coat "Besides, all this talk of pizza is making me hungry I'm gonna go see what I can rustle up."

"Ok well get back to your place safe, I'll call you tomorrow after work."

"Sounds like a plan babe, I'll be waiting."

"Goodnight Joey, I'll talk to you later."

"Until next time Jane, good night baby."

* * *

The next morning Jane strolled into the office bright and early to a surprise waiting for her on her desk. Usually when things mysteriously showed up on her desk like that it was Joe's doing but when she got a closer look at the bundle waiting for her she knew it wasn't his doing at all.

The small stuffed duck with a red, white and blue ribbon tied around its neck could only have come from Korsak.

She took it as a peace offering when she glanced at him to confirm her suspicions of its giver and he just smiled at her.

"I figured you could give George there a good home considering your new found fondness of the little guys."

"George?" Jane asked not really following

"Yeah, like George Washington you know? I thought you'd appreciate the gesture."

She smiled at his underhanded teasing. "Yeah I guess George can stay with me, he can live on my desk and do all the heavy thinking for me."

After more closely examining the duck she placed it next to her computer monitor and got right down to business.

If anyone else thought it was odd that tough girl Jane Rizzoli now kept a stuffed animal on her desk they didn't mention it to her face.

That afternoon while Jane and Frost were out on a case Korsak was sitting at his desk reviewing case files for the court appearance he was up for at the end of the week. Across from him Jane's office phone rang breaking his concentration. It rang until it went to voicemail and the relative quiet of the nearly empty precinct was restored. A minute later his phone starting ringing giving him a much needed break.

"Detective Korsak, Homicide"

The voice that greeted him was not one he'd really been expecting "Detective, it's Joe Grant, I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time."

Korsak sat back in his chair and switched the phone to his other ear "Ah Mr. Ducks in person. Well what can I do for you today?"

"Excuse me, what was that?" Joe asked perplexed

"Nothing Lieutenant, how can I help you? If you're looking for Rizzoli she's not in the office."

"Umm, No I was actually looking for you." He said slowly still a little unsure what Korsak was just talking about. "Jane told me that you know about our relationship and I wanted to talk to you about a few things if you have the time."

"You could say that, I'm prepping for court later this week but I can spare a few minutes for Jane's sake, I'm assuming that's what this is about isn't it?"

Joe smiled; Korsak could be pretty perceptive when he tried. "Yeah, it does concern her. First I'd like to start off by saying thank you. You've had her back for a long time and even though you aren't still partners I know you still have her back when it really matters. Without you I wouldn't have ever had my chance with her so I appreciate all you've done for her."

Several past incidents flashed through Korsak's mind in response to his words, shared moments of intense terror and anxiety they'd helped each other through.

"I know Jane would have a fit if she knew I was asking you this but could you please just make sure she stays safe? You're a good cop and a good friend to her; can I rely on you to keep looking out for her? I'd do it if I could but I can't be in two places at once and I'm needed here in Washington."

Korsak was mildly surprised he would go through the actual effort of requesting such an obvious thing. "Of course I've got her back. Just because she's not my partner on paper anymore doesn't mean I don't still consider myself responsible for her safety out in the field. You better hope she never finds out about this conversation or you're gonna be in for an ear full."

"I was kinda hoping we could keep this between ourselves actually, I have no desire to incur Jane's wrath if it's avoidable."

"Well at least you've got some brains then kid." Korsak laughed "That all you wanted?"

"One more thing actually. This is more of a personal favor than anything else so please consider it seriously." Joe paused for a moment to make sure he had Korsak's attention.

"If anything ever happens to her and you think she needs someone there with her will you please call me? If she's ever hurt or there is a situation I'd like to be able to be there for her but I wouldn't know about it while it's happening so I need someone reliable to keep me informed. We both know she's stubborn as a mule when it comes to asking for help and she's not likely to do it on her own so I'm asking you, as a favor to me and her both, to please keep me in the loop when the big things pop up."

Korsak hadn't been expecting a request like that. He mulled it over in his head for a while before voicing his answer. "I can promise you I will consider calling you if the situation seems desperate enough. We watch out for our own around here if you'll remember Lieutenant, but if I really think she needs you I'll be sure you know."

"Thank you Detective, I appreciate the favor."

"Your welcome, but I'm agreeing to this more for Jane's sake then yours. Now I have a few things to say to you if you're done making requests."

Joe had a feeling he knew what was coming and prepared himself accordingly." It's only fair Detective, I'm listening."

"Jane Rizzoli is one of the best cops I have ever been partnered with and even though she likes to pretend she's just another one of the guys she is decidedly female. She's sure as hell not fragile, in fact she's one of the toughest women I've ever met but she's got those damn fickle female hormones and is prone to certain feminine tendencies. Therefore, if it ever comes to my attention that you hurt her or you are responsible for something bad happening to her, you better never show your face in this city again because I can promise you now that you won't leave it alive. You're not my superior anymore, you're just another man and you'll bleed just like anyone else." He warned him without a trace of hesitance or doubt.

"Understood Sir, but I can assure you. I'm going to do everything within my power to make sure that never happens…But along those same lines, I hope you realize that if anything happens to Jane while you're supposed to be watching her back I'm going to hold you responsible and I won't hesitate to show up at the station and personally kick your ass in front of everyone."

"For both your sakes I hope you're right about that first part. Is that all Lieutenant? I have a case to get back to." Korsak had already said all he wanted to say on the matter and he wasn't easily bullied, he was ready for this call to be over.

"Yes Detective that was all. I'll leave you to get back to work."

Korsak was just about to hang up but stopped himself at the last second "Grant?"

"Yes Detective?"

"She's happy right now, I don't know what you're doing and I don't want to hear any details but whatever it is, you keep it up and you keep that woman happy you hear me? As long as she keeps smiling like she has been the last two days you'll never have to meet the business end of my service weapon. She deserves the world so I expect you to give it to her."

"I'd like nothing better than to do just that. You have my word."

His expectations having been adequately expressed, Korsak was quick to end the phone call. "Alright then, I'm glad we had this little conversation. Good bye Lieutenant, enjoy Washington D.C."

Joe heard the dial tone before he could return the farewell sentiment. He hadn't expected much different from him though, he wasn't playing the professional cop role during their conversation, he'd been the concerned friend and faux father figure. He was allowed a certain amount of emotional detachment from the normal.

He was just glad Korsak had agreed, now he'd have two people looking out for Jane and him, he figured it was safer to be overly prepared then under.

Joe hung up his phone and got ready to take the rest of his lunch break outside of his office.

* * *

Jane's case carried over until Friday, and kept her busy for most of that time and her mind off other things. Joe dutifully called at night to check in with her and bounce plausible ideas and suspects around with her but even he couldn't keep her totally detached from the case until it was finished. Their conversations were always a welcome reprieve for her but the never give up, never back down detective in her never seemed to stay down for long once he wasn't actively distracting her anymore.

Exhausted from several late days on the job and not enough sleep Jane trudged back to her apartment and collapsed on her bed after they finally extracted their perp's confession.

Hearing her phone ring was not a welcome sound at the moment but she groaned in protest and answered it anyway. Maybe she'd be lucky and it was just Joe, he wouldn't mind calling back later so she could take a nap.

"Rizzoli"

"Hey Rizzoli, it's Nikki. How's everything going?" It wasn't the Grant she'd been hoping for but it was the next best one in her opinion.

"Oh hey Nikki, work's been keeping me busy lately so I can't say I've been doing much of anything but the bare essentials. How's the glorious life of a writer treating you?"

"A hell of a lot better than your job." Nikki laughed "I was actually hoping you'd be up for going out for a few drinks tonight. You know, have a little girl time for old time's sake. Jack's out of town and it would be a shame for two fine ladies like us to be stuck at home on a Friday night. What do you say?"

She considered declining the offer in favor of that nap she'd been looking forward to but it had been a long time since she'd done anything non work related and she did miss her old friend. Perhaps she could just dose up on massive amounts of caffeine and have a good time anyway.

She didn't have many occasions to go out these days, if Maura wasn't dragging her out she very rarely went out by herself. It could be relaxing to throw back a few beers and catch up.

Her mind firmly made up she gave Nikki the answer she knew she'd wanted to hear. "Yeah I think that would be fun. Where and when do you want to meet?"

"I was hoping you'd say that, look out your window."

Reluctantly Jane heaved herself off the bed and peeked her head out one of her windows facing the street. She looked down and was greeted by Nikki leaning against her car across the street from her building waving with one hand and still holding her cell to her ear as she grinned up at her.

"Alright stalker girl, how in the world did you even know where I live or that I'd agree to this crazy outing of yours?"

"Oh please, I always found a way to get you to come out with me when we were younger, what makes you think it would be any different now?" Jane had to admit she had a point; the Grant children were very persuasive. "Are you gonna come down or am I gonna have to come up there and drag you out?"

Jane looked down at the rumpled clothes she'd been wearing for far too long, she'd definitely have to change before going anywhere. "I need a few minutes to freshen up and look like a real person again so you should probably just come up here."

She watched as Nikki crossed the street and climbed the front stairs. "Alright I'll be up in a jiffy." Nikki promptly hung up to make her way up to her apartment.

When she heard the knock a minute later she was already waiting by the door to let Nikki in. "Should I be worried that you knew which apartment was mine? I don't remember ever telling you."

Nikki broke out in a wicked grin "You didn't. But I have my sources."

Jane snorted in response "You called Joe and bugged him until he told you didn't you?"

"Younger siblings are so easy to manipulate, so many incriminating pictures to choose from to hold over their heads. Especially when it comes to significant others, you have no idea how much fun I'm gonna have sharing all the embarrassing parts of Joe's childhood you missed with you." Nikki admitted proudly.

They both broke out laughing and woke Joe Friday up from her evening nap. She wandered over to the new visitor and looked up at her expectantly. Nikki bent down to let the little dog sniff her hand then picked her up to pet her head and accept a friendly doggie kiss.

"This little one is a cutie, what's her name?"

"Nikki, meet Joe Friday. Before you even give me that look no, I didn't name her and your brother had absolutely nothing to do with it."

"Alright, as long as you realize that Joe is a boy's name and this little princess is wearing a pink collar." Nikki pointed out putting Joe Friday back on the floor.

"Not when it's short for Josephine wise ass." Jane punched her friend in the arm "Just hold on a few minutes, will ya? It's been a long couple of days and I need to take like a 30 second shower and put on some clean clothes so I feel like a person again. Feel free to grab anything from the fridge that's not fuzzy or a strange color."

"Ah me casa es su casa, I got it. Don't worry about me, I'll find something to keep me occupied in the mean time. Go get ready, me and little Josephine here will hold down the fort." Nikki shooed Jane off down the hall where she assumed her room was.

While Jane was busy freshening up Nikki snooped around her apartment. She'd never been here before obviously but she could tell that not too long ago it had been slightly redone, or at the very least added to.

The first obvious sign was the familiar black leather jacket hanging on the coat rack by the door. She knew for a fact that Joe loved that jacket and wasn't easily parted from it. The fact that he willingly left it at her place was a statement all on its own.

The next thing that caught her attention were the hockey sticks sticking out of a canister full of sporting equipment and a random umbrella next to the coat rack. It wasn't a huge jump from field hockey to roller or ice hockey so it wasn't their presence that caught her attention but the number of them. She figured it was normal to have two sticks at hand so she and a friend could pick up a game at anytime but four was a bit many for just one person. Upon closer inspection she noticed the two wrapped in black tape as apposed to the other two wrapped in white tape. Past experience told her the white tape would have been Jane's doing, her field hockey sticks had always been wrapped in similar tape, which could only mean that Joe had brought over his old stuff too.

They really were cute together, a pair of Catholic school jocks turned cops, a match made in heaven.

Little traces of her brother popped up all over Jane's apartment once she started looking for them. A few books in the bookcase she knew were his favorites, some magazines on an end table with his name on the address label, a knick knack she'd given him as a souvenir from her trip to Italy last summer on her desk, it all blended in with the natural feel of the room and if she hadn't known better she would have thought they had always been there.

The realization that they were both as serious about their relationship as she hoped they'd been was heart warming; she definitely wouldn't mind having Jane as a sister in law one day. She just had to make sure Joe didn't screw it all up before they got to that point.

Jane reemerged from down the hall just as Nikki was inspecting the glass aquarium on top of a low bookcase.

"I never would have pictured you the type to keep a pet turtle." Nikki said as she tapped the glass to see if it would make the reptile move.

"He was a gift from a friend actually; I like to call him Yurtle. Though I'm pretty sure he's really some strange kind of tortoise but hell if I can tell the difference anyway. All I know is he's kinda cute and low maintenance so it works for me."

"If you say so, are you ready to go? I'm getting hungry and I could really go for a margarita."

"Lead the way oh great one, but if I fall asleep on the way over there I promise it's not because you're boring me, I'm just in major need of some caffeine." Jane informed her as she grabbed a jacket from the rack before locking the door behind them.

Nikki couldn't hold back a smirk as she watched Jane effortlessly slip into the jacket and lead the way back outside. Jane looked back over her shoulder to see if Nikki was following her and caught the smirk. "What?"

"Oh nothing, just admiring your jacket." She teased

Jane hadn't actively thought about which jacket she had grabbed, she'd just taken the one she'd known to be the most comfortable. As she looked down to remind herself what she was wearing it clicked in her brain that she'd actually grabbed Joe's jacket instead of one of hers.

She could feel a mild blush starting to cover her face and turned back away from Nikki towards the exit. "It's comfortable alright? It's big and warm and it still kinda smells like him, it's the little things that make all the difference."

"Hey I'm not judging you; I just think it's cute. I've never seen Joey let anyone else wear that jacket."

"Well I figured he left it here and he never said I wasn't allowed to, so to me that's fair game. Besides he never seems to care when I steal his shirts I don't see how a random jacket would be any different." Jane rationalized, it didn't seem like a big deal to her.

"We'll have to take a picture tonight and send it to him and see what he says." Nikki decided still amused "Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll throw a fit and give us a few cheap laughs."

"You're an evil, evil sister." Jane said shaking her head at her playful cruelty "I'm glad we're just friends and I'm not related to you."

"Not yet." Nikki said flashing a huge smile at her then bolting across the street to her car.

They made their way to a local bar and grill where the variety and quality of the food was acceptable for both their tastes and the drinks were cheap enough to keep them occupied long after dinner was over.

Conversation varied from topic to topic, briefly covering her work as an author and touching just the faintest bit of Jane's job. Most of the evening was filled with stories from the decade or so of their lives that they had missed out on.

In the middle of a story about an ex-boyfriend and his questionable choice in living arrangements their conversation was interrupted by a phone ringing. Surprisingly it wasn't even Jane's.

Nikki answered her phone after checking the caller Id "Talk to me Maggie, what's up?"

Jane didn't want to eavesdrop so she took the time to look around at her surroundings while Nikki spoke to her sister.

"Nope sorry, I'm not at my house I'm out with a friend. Hey, why don't you come meet us at the bar? You're old enough to drink with us now, come on out and spend some quality time with me here." There was a moment of silence while Nikki listened for a response.

"No you're not intruding and I don't care if you have to take a cab here, I'll drive you back home later or you can come back to my house for the night. You don't have to be back for classes until Monday anyway so stop being antisocial and get your ass down here."

More silence and then "Silvertone on Bromfield Street. We'll be here for awhile yet so just come in and head for the back."

Nikki confirmed one last thing then said good bye and hung up the phone.

She turned back to Jane "Sorry 'bout that. I hope you don't mind I invited Maggie out with us, she came home again this weekend and she wanted to see me but I'm clearly not at my house."

"I don't mind but I'm just a little concerned that she's gonna see it's me you're drinking with and turn tail and run again. I don't wanna butt in on sisterly bonding time." Jane admitted "I couldn't help but notice you deliberately forgot to mention who your friend was. I still don't know why she doesn't like me and I don't want to make it any worse."

"Oh she'll get over it, whatever it is. We just have to grab her and buy her a drink or two and I'm sure she'll mellow right out. It's about time she got to know you anyway and I'm not totally convinced she doesn't remember you growing up, she was old enough to know who you were."

Conversation returned to normal after that and it was another 20 minutes before Nikki looked up and saw Maggie making her way towards their table. "Moment of truth" she whispered to Jane as Maggie approached them.

"Hey Maggie! Come on and sit down." Nikki pulled her arm to make her sit down next to her and across from Jane.

Jane greeted her with a friendly smile and a wave "Hello again Maggie"

Maggie made an attempt to escape when she noticed who was across the booth from her but Nikki's hold on her was too tight and she couldn't twist her way out of it. She finally gave up and slumped down into the booth. "Hi Janie."

Jane was genuinely surprised she talked to her at all and even more so she'd reverted back to the more kid friendly version of her name she'd allowed both her and her younger brothers to call her in the past. "It's good to see you again Maggie, what do you like to drink? It's my turn to buy the next round."

In reality Nikki knew it was her turn to buy since Jane had just bought the last round but she let it slip since she knew this was her way of trying to connect with Maggie.

Maggie for the most part was very quiet, she wasn't a huge drinker but she enjoyed a few social drinks now and then when the feeling struck her. Trouble was she hardly ever knew the names of any drinks since she wasn't a frequent bar hopper. Instead she just shrugged and deferred to Nikki for suggestions.

"Hey don't look at me kid, I drink everything you know that. I'm not gonna be much help on this one. Just pick something." Nikki prodded.

Jane slid out of the booth and stood next to the table awaiting the drink order. She knew Nikki had switched from her margarita to a tequila sunrise so she'd get another of those for her but she honestly had no idea what Maggie drank.

Jane finally got tired of waiting and told them she'd surprise them before walking off towards the bar.

Back at the table Nikki glared at her sister. "I don't know what's wrong with you but you are going to be nice to Jane and be that social little girl I know is hiding somewhere in you. Whatever problem you have with her get over it because Joey and I both are going to be spending a lot of time with her so if you want to hang out with us you'll hang out her too got it? If you'd just give her a chance I'm positive you'll like her, she hasn't changed that much since high school and you used to love playing with her back then. Even if you're going to try to deny it, I was there too and I remember."

Maggie sat and listened to her sister's speech tracing invisible patterns into the table and trying to avoid looking at her.

Jane returned to the table shortly after with two bottles, a tall glass and a shot glass. She slid the glass over to Nikki to replace her empty one and then placed the shot glass in front of Maggie.

Maggie looked up to see Jane holding out her beer to make a toast. She picked up the shot glass and tapped it against Jane's bottle and then Nikki's glass and took the shot.

It tasted like oatmeal cookies.

Nikki and Jane joined Maggie when she cracked a timid smile.

Jane was glad her memory served her well. She had the vague recollection of eating oatmeal cookies at the Grant household at some point in her adolescence. She knew that Joe loved them but she suspected Maggie probably liked them too judging by her reaction.

"I'm glad you're an oatmeal cookie fiend like your brother, I thought you might enjoy that." Jane told her then passed her the other bottle she'd brought back to the table. "I also thought you might like this so give it a whirl."

Maggie accepted the bottle from Jane and took a sip. She didn't know much about beer but this one tasted pretty good. As the liquid in the bottle slowly disappeared Maggie started opening up more and more. By the second bottle courtesy of Nikki, she was chatting them up like they were old friends.

Due to the age gap between them there wasn't really a clear subject that they would all relate to but there was one commonality between them all, so inevitably they ended up sharing their favorite stories involving Joe.

They'd taken turns picking a category then asking random questions and laughing at their ridiculous responses. It was now Maggie's turn and she was trying to think of a good one "Ok, strangest thing Joey's ever given you."

Nikki laughed and took a minute to think "When we were maybe 5 or 6 Joey had this dump truck that he took with him everywhere. One day while we were at the park he decided he wanted to go on an adventure so he filled the back of his truck up with "supplies" that he thought he'd wanted to bring along with him. Well when Ma stopped him from actually embarking on said adventure he pushed his stupid little truck over to a puddle and dropped everything in it and smooshed it around. He pulled this big gross pile of mud and random stuff out and started molding it like clay or something. When he was done he thought that he was being a nice little brother by sharing it with me so he sat it down in front of me and smiled at me. Now this thing was really gross let me remind you, it was basically mud, sticks, sand, acorns, dried leaves, and a random bird feather he'd found on the ground all thrown together in a blob with a vague hint of a head and possibly a tail. I 'm not really sure what it was supposed to be or why he thought I wanted it but he gave it to me and seemed pretty pleased with himself."

They shared a round of laughter and then let Jane tell her story. "Um let's see, Joe hasn't really given me too much over the years except a lot of headaches…Oh I know. In seventh grade I swear he must have just hit puberty or something because he started getting on my nerves more than usual. One day I walk into school and go to open my locker to grab my books and there is a mallard duck just sitting inside of it. It scared the shit outta me so I scream like a little pansy and I guess I scared it too because it crapped all over my stuff then started flailing around and tried to fly in my face then escape down the hallway. Through all the commotion of trying to grab this duck so it doesn't bite me I hear your darling brother and his friends practically rolling on the floor laughing at me a few lockers away. I finally managed to get the poor thing outside and let it go but my locker was trashed and a bunch of my homework wasn't really in any shape to be turning in anymore. I was so pissed at him after that, I think that's when you got him back for me with the mouse down his pants." Jane finished her story.

"Ah yes, I remember that incident. He totally had it coming." Nikki reminisced

"Wait what? I don't remember that!" Maggie gasped trying to catch her breath after laughing too much.

"Oh yes it happened, but that's a story for another time. It's your turn to spill the beans."

"Hm, ok well I guess I was probably about 8 and Joey had promised he'd get me a new toy for some reason, I don't even remember right why now, he may have accidentally broken something of mine or something. But I go into his room to ask when we're going to go to the toy store and he's doing some school project and he's in there sticking together gumdrops and marshmallows with tooth picks and straws in random shapes. I ask him what he's doing and he turns around and says "Here play with this" then hands me this weird lookin' thing that had every color of gumdrop hanging on it in little appendages and you could stand it up and spin the top of it around. I'm pretty sure whatever it was he just gave me to get me to go away and get out of buying me something but it was edible so I had more fun eating it then actually playing with it."

"Oh hey I think I know what he was probably working on, in our chemistry class we had to build models of atoms as one of our final projects. He was probably using his extra building materials to bribe you." Jane supplied, recalling her own experiences building her project. She'd snacked on hers while she built so by the end she didn't have much candy left over to share with her brothers.

"I guess we can be sure that our Joey is full of surprises." Nikki commented after Maggie had finished her story.

Her next topic for the new round of stories was disrupted by Jane's phone. She was still recovering from laughing when she picked it up. "Rizzoli"

"Hey babe, did I catch you at a bad time?"

"No, no it's not a bad time. I'm just out with your sisters having a few drinks." Jane filled him in. Nikki and Maggie both smiled as Jane bantered with their brother.

Joe wanted to be sure he heard her correctly "Wait, did you say sisters as in plural?"

"Yes Joey, you do have two sisters. I thought that you would have caught on to that fact by now." Jane readily sassed him. The alcohol was loosening her up to be more playful than usual.

"How in the world did you get Maggie to come out with you?"

"Um jumped her on the street and bought her booze?" Jane winked at Maggie and she may have imagined it but she could have sworn that she saw Maggie blush.

Joe was shocked "What? You jumped my little sister on the street?"

"Actually I may have made that part up. I did buy her booze though; she seems to take after her big brother quite a bit. She's drinking our favorite beer."

"You got her to drink beer? Are you sure you aren't magical? Maggie never drinks beer when I ask her if she wants one." He wasn't quite sure what was going on, just last weekend his sister wanted nothing to do with Jane and now suddenly she's drinking beer with her? He needed to get back to Boston and see this for himself.

"You or Nikki didn't drug her did you?" He seriously doubted they would have but he asked anyway.

"No we didn't drug anyone, we're just bonding over some drinks and sharing humiliating stories about out favorite brother/boyfriend."

In the background Joe heard the distinct sound of both his sisters laughing at his expense. He wasn't so sure he wanted to continue this conversation but he feared what would happen the second he hung up.

"Ok baby, I can tell when I'm not wanted. I'll let you get back to your girls night out."

"Oh shush Joey you know I always want you, I'm just enjoying my time with your sisters. I thought you'd be happy we all kissed and made up so we can play nicely together."

That remark got mixed reactions from the Grant clan. Nikki cracked up again, Maggie turned a bright red and ducked her head away and Joe took her a little too literally.

"You better not be kissin' my sisters or anyone else. I don't share with men or women babe. You already agreed that I get to keep you so no renting yourself out while I'm not there you got it?"

"How many times do I have to assure you of that Joey? I'm not going anywhere and I'm not foolin' around with anyone but you."

"I know, I'm sorry baby, it's just hard being so far apart. How about when I come back home next week we all go out together and have a good time? Nikki can bring Jack if he's available and Maggie can bring someone too if she has a guy, we don't really talk about that stuff so I don't even know if she's seeing anyone. Then we can all meet everyone at once and we can all be one big happy family. Not to mention it'll be a lot easier to do some damage control on my reputation if I'm actually there to defend myself."

Jane covered the mouth piece of her phone to rely the message "Joey says he wants us all to get together next weekend and do this again but with significant others and such so we can all in his words "be a big happy family", you guys ok with that?"

Nikki was quick to respond with an affirmative head nod, Maggie was a little more reluctant but ultimately agreed also.

"Alright they're in, consider it a date."

"Good, I'll be looking forward to it. Now I do believe you have some drinks to get back to and more gossip about yours truly to share."

"Yeah I think you may be right again, the second time this week even, I think that's a new record."

Joe knew she loved teasing him so he let her get away with it more often than not. "Ok, ok, you win. Call me later when you get home so I know you're safe ok babe?"

"Can do. Good night Joey, I miss you."

"I miss you too baby, have fun and be safe."

She disconnected the call and re stowed her phone in her pocket. They stayed out until a respectable hour of the early morning, Jane and Maggie steadily draining a few more beers and Nikki being the responsible one driving home, switched to water after her third drink.

Nikki dropped a slightly tipsy Jane of at her door and watched her until she had made it safely inside the door. She didn't pull away to head home herself until she saw the lights turn on in the second story apartment window she knew belonged to Jane.

As Jane crawled into bed for the night wearing just her underwear and one of Joe's shirts she called Joe to let him know she'd made it home alright and then promptly fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow for the first time that whole week.

* * *

She spent most of Saturday morning catching up on the sleep she'd missed out on the past week. When she finally rolled out of bed it was to spend an amazingly dull day doing laundry and puttering around her apartment doing all the household chores she'd been neglecting. It was a huge relief to not have to use her brain for anything at all the whole day.

In the evening Maura called to confirm their plans to go running the next morning and besides Joe's daily check in, her phone was blissfully silent the whole day.

* * *

Sunday morning she was feeling refreshed and ready to run. She met Maura in their usual place and they started to stretch as they watched the other joggers on the paths. A young girl approaching a guy stretching on a bench nearby caught Jane's eye.

"Do you believe in love at first sight?" Jane asked causing Maura to look up from her calf stretch and see what she was referring to.

"Immediate attraction is pure narcissism." Maura replied barely paying attention to the couple.

Continuing to watch their interactions Jane countered her statement "Oh I don't agree. Look they're talking about his t-shirt."

Maura was not impressed with her reasoning "It takes quite a lot of effort to attract a mate."

"That right there is the beginning of true love."

Focusing on the conversing couple while she stretched Maura gave her final thoughts on subject. "People are attracted to people who are attracted to them."

They both watched in shock as a man ran up behind the pair and kissed the other man. "Well there goes that theory." Jane admitted as Maura laughed at the faulty assumption.

They never did get to start that morning run though; both their phones alerted them of the need of their presence at the harbor.

When the body was identified as Adam Fairfield, a member of one of the wealthiest families in the city things started going south for Jane and Maura.

After being stonewalled by the Fairfields at their estate and Maura uncharacteristically taking sides with the victim's family (a man she'd once dated) Jane was fed up with the case already and it had only been a few hours old.

She found Maura starting in on the autopsy. "Why you doing the autopsy on a Sunday? They cancel all the Kundalini, Pulao, Rikku yoga classes?"

Without stopping what she was doing Maura responded to Jane with her usual scientific precision "Kundalini is sacred energy work, Pulao is a savory rice dish and I'm pretty sure that you made up that last word."

"Well I'm sorry I'm not as educated as you and your deluxe friends. Thanks for the support with them by the way."

Maura paused long enough to look Jane in the face "Their brother just died. I couldn't just stand there and let you badger his family."

"Badger? Is that how you describe how I do my job?" Jane asked indignantly "And since when do you rush the science?"

"I'm not rushing anything" Maura defended herself making a few notations on a clip board.

"You're scrambling to finish out the autopsy."

"The Governor called, he would like the reports right away."

Jane was having a problem with Maura's attitude; she wasn't used to having to deal with the high society folk that Maura was clearing catering to. "Of course he did. Did you have a nice chat? Maybe tonight you can attend the opera with some senators and then afterwards go out on the veranda and smoke big rolled up wads of hundreds."

"These people are not the enemy." Maura reminded her

"Yeah neither was Columbus but tell that to the Native Americans he killed with small pox."

Maura tried to reason with her, to get her to understand the depth of the Fairfield's importance to the city. "The Fairfields helped build this city."

"My grandfather was an iron worker _he_ helped build this city." Jane snapped back.

They stared each other down, Maura clearly not understanding Jane's aversion to the Fairfields.

"So what are we arguing about here? History, or are you just mad at me for who my friends are?"

Jane realized this was one of those times she'd have to spell things out for Maura "This is about work. Ok? I've just never seen you hugging suspects before."

"We don't even know what happened here, if this was an accidental drowning there are no suspects." Maura pointed out.

"So you're hoping it's an accident?"

"Are you hoping it was a murder?" She countered.

Jane didn't like the way this conversation had gotten twisted around. "I'm doing my job like I always do. Why don't you do yours?"

"I am, and as the medical examiner it is my job to determine the cause and the manner of death. So I'll tell you whether there's a case here or not."

Fed up with dealing with Maura in her current state, Jane gave up and decided she needed to walk away. "Maybe I'll just figure it out for myself."

For several hours after that Jane secluded herself from any contact with Maura.

When Frankie dropped by and left her a sample of her mom's wonder juice after voicing his concerns about their parents, Jane had a reason to make herself go back down there and confront Maura again.

All her research was not getting her anywhere so she tried to think of a plan to get Maura to use her acquaintances to her benefit. A seemingly good idea popped into her head so she took a trip to a local candy store and picked up what she had wanted.

The gold flecked chocolate bar didn't go over quite as well as she'd hoped it would. In fact their latest encounter ended up with Korsak mediating between the two of them like a pair of obstinate children.

She was feeling frazzled and equally frustrated and confused with the whole situation, she needed to ground herself somehow and there was only one way that came to mind.

She just hoped he wasn't in the middle of something important.

When she got Joe's voicemail she was disappointed he wouldn't be able to help her this time. To her great surprise and delight she got a text message from him about a minute after she'd left her message.

_**Caught in a meeting, hang in there baby. I'll call back in 10 mins when I get out.**_

It seemed Joe would be there for her after all. _Thank God for understanding boyfriends_.

She retreated from the building to get some fresh air and try to clear her head a bit. She hadn't even realized she'd been outside for so long sitting on a random bench across the street from the station when Joe called back as promised closer to 15 minutes later.

"Ok babe, what's up? I didn't bother checking my voicemail; I figured it would be easier just to come straight to the source."

"It's this case that I'm working on, it's driving me crazy. You know the Fairfield family?"

"I think I've heard of them. Lot of big houses and fancy cars and such?"

"Yep that would be the one. Adam Fairfield was found floating in the harbor this morning and everyone and their mother seems to want to make my life and my job ten times harder than it needs to be. I subpoenaed all sorts of records from the Fairfields but their lawyer is stonewalling me at every turn and to make things worse Maura used to date one of the brothers so she's treating this whole ordeal like it's all some unfortunate accident and the Police are the nasty bogeymen sent to badger the family and accuse people of committing a crime they didn't do."

"Well do you have any evidence to support either theory?"

"Not exactly, but that's not the point. The Maura I know and work with is supposed to be infallibly subjective, not hugging potential suspects. She seems to think just because they are personal friends of hers and have millions of dollars they can't possibly be capable of murder. I need for her to work with me like we usually do, but now I'm not even sure whose side she's on."

"Ok first of all, take a deep breath and let go of the anger, it's not gonna help in this situation." Joe explained "Now what is really bothering you? The case, or the fact that your best friend is rich and has powerful friends?"

"I don't care how much money she has, I just want her to do her job like the rest of us. I know she probably doesn't have to work to earn a living but I do. She knows how much trouble we're having with these people and I need her to help me with this investigation but she's been protecting them just like the damn lawyer!"

Joe had a feeling he understood why Jane was having such a problem with this. "Jane not everyone grew up like we did. South Boston isn't exactly known for its abundance of wealth, but living there we learned who our friends were and who we could trust to have our backs when we needed them early on. Maura probably didn't have that growing up as a privileged kid; she wouldn't have needed someone to cover for her when she broke a window playing stick ball out in the streets, she probably wasn't even allowed to play in the street in the first place.

People like us have each other's backs because it's how we survived out there, it's second nature to us to never take anything for granted, especially people. Kids that grow up where we did know that people lie, cheat and steal to get what they want and we understand that under the right circumstances anyone is capable of doing horrible things like murder another human being because we see it for ourselves. That nasty little truth probably wasn't so apparent in Maura's world.

You have to take into account that she doesn't have the same outlook as you do. She trusts those high society people because that's all she knows, she's probably never even had the need for someone to watch her back or anyone willing to extend the favor, she doesn't understand when other people need her to have theirs. She's not doing it to be difficult or spiteful or even to interfere with the investigation; she's just trying in her own way to protect the people she can relate to. You can't really fault her for doing something you'd do for any one of your own friends, she just has friends in higher tax brackets. Give her a chance and maybe she'll surprise you, you are her best friend after all."

Jane took a moment to absorb that and really think about what he'd said. It made sense, Maura was still working the case, albeit more with Frost and Korsak then herself but she wasn't actively trying to stall or withhold any evidence. It seemed logical enough that she wouldn't want to assume the worst of her friend or his family, it was just an unfortunate coincidence that her friend happened to be a millionaire. She shouldn't be taking her frustrations with the case out solely on Maura because she had money and she shouldn't have been mocking her with expensive candy bars. Their friendship had bridged the income gap without any such frivolities before and she realized it still didn't need gold flecks to survive now.

"How is it that you can make things seem to make sense so well in sucha short amount of time? This has been bothering me all day and I spend a few minutes with you on the phone and it's suddenly not as bad as it was ten minutes ago."

Joe let out a soft chuckle in response "I'm just naturally gifted. All you really needed was an outside perspective and since you couldn't go to your best friend about it you lashed out at the easiest target."

"Well I guess it's a good thing I keep you around then huh? You're mighty handy in a jam."

"I'm glad to be of service, I'll send you my bill later."

"Wait a minute, I thought this mental wellness stuff was supposed to be part of the relationship deal, there wasn't any mention of hidden fees when I agreed to this."

"They wouldn't be hidden if I told you about them. Don't worry, I work for cheap" Joe assured her, laughing at her expense "All it'll cost you is a night at home in bed with me."

Although she wasn't at all opposed to the fee she had to bust his chops a little bit. "Hmm, working in exchange for sexual favors, that sounds suspiciously like prostitution to me."

"Never, just a simple exchange of services. I fix your problems, and in return we both get what we want later. Sounds like a win, win situation to me"

"I'm willing to agree with you this time but don't think this is going to be an every day occurrence. Prostitution's illegal you know." Jane made sure to point out

"Not when it's between two consenting adults in a loving relationship. Then it's just fun." Joe laughed causing Jane to join in. "I'll even let you cuff me if you want to, I'll gladly plea guilty to that crime."

"Oh now don't ruin it Joey, I get enough with the cuffs at work. That used to be one of my deciding factors in who I dated."

Joe was a little confused "Whether or not they would play with handcuffs?" That's kind of strange criteria."

"Not exactly. Mostly I seemed to attract two kinds of men, the kind that hated I'm a cop and the kind that wanted me to use the handcuffs. Neither seemed to work out very well for me."

"Well then aren't you glad you found a third kind of guy? I don't hate that you're a cop and we don't ever have to use the cuffs if you don't want to. I'd be just as happy letting you rough me up the old fashioned way." He wasn't really invested in the use of handcuffs anyway, being a cop kind of sucked all the novelty out of them.

Jane was still rather shy about admitting some things "Yeah I'm glad I have you. Thanks, you really helped me out today."

"You're welcome baby, I just hope everything gets a little easier for you as the case goes on."

Jane exhaled a sigh "I should probably go apologize to Maura huh?"

"I'm sure it couldn't hurt. Just give her some time to wrap her head around things and get her priorities straight. This is new for her, I'm sure she'll do the right thing in the end."

"I really hope so." Jane agreed "Ok I need to get back to work. Call me later when you're done for the day?"

"Always do." Joe responded without hesitation.

"Ok, until later then" Jane bid farewell

"Until later" Joe echoed then hung up to get back to his own work.

Back at her desk Jane was surprised to get Maura's call with information from Garret Fairfield. When she asked her why she was doing this for her after apologizing and Maura's answer had been "Because I have your back." Her lips twitched into a smile for a split second. Maybe Joe was right, she had just needed some time to figure things out.

* * *

After the boat was located by the Coast Guard the next day and Jane and her team were able to determine that it was in fact a suicide Jane found herself wanting to make things right with Maura again. Which was how they'd ended up at the bar in the middle of the afternoon during an open homicide investigation.

Maura took a drink of her wine and made a face "The Cabernet here is chalky." She pushed the mostly empty glass to the edge of the table.

"Have a beer, it's cold." Jane suggested taking a sip from her bottle.

"I don't…drink beer."

Accustomed to Maura's dismissive tone Jane cocked an eyebrow and put down her bottle "Right"

They shared an awkward moment before Jane jumped back into the details of the case. "Well we know for a fact that it's a murder, and we have two solid suspects, with motive. Wife, 'cause she didn't want a divorce and Sumner, because he's pissed at Adam for pushin' him out."

"And Colburn who won't let you near them" Maura added

Jane sighed in frustration and closed the open file folder in front of her "Ugh, please don't talk to me about that guy."

"Ok fine"

In an attempt to steer the conversation away from the case to give them both a break, Jane brought up the one brother they hadn't mentioned. "You wanna tell me what happened with Garret?"

Caught off guard by the question Maura considered her answer with a head shake and a certain look "There's not much to tell."

Jane could tell Maura wasn't telling her the whole truth and just stared at her expectantly. She was a terrible liar.

Maura cracked under Jane's unbelieving stare and put her head in her hands then leaned her chin against her hand propped up on the table. "I loved that guy."

Jane watched her contently waiting to hear the rest of the story; love was always the start, never the end.

Maura tilted her head to the side, trying to weasel out of actually giving up any more details. Jane's persistent gaze had her breaking that resolve quickly enough. "You know, when you're so in love you feel like you took some kind of a substance?"

Jane knew exactly what she was talking about but for some reason she still hadn't told her best friend about her current relationship that was the cause of her understanding of the feeling.

Now was not a good time to tell her though, she promised herself she would tell her soon. She just had to figure out the best way to do it that would lead to the least amount of smug looks and mocking on her behalf. She didn't doubt Maura would be happy for them both but she really wasn't looking forward to going any more public yet. Korsak had been alright with it but the fiasco with Joe's mother still lingered in the back of her head and acted as irrefutable proof that things don't always go the way you expect or hope them to.

She decided to focus on Maura instead of her own life. "Oh that's just narcissism." She teased; glad to be getting back on good terms with her best friend.

"Maybe" Maura conceded with a matching happy grin ready to laugh it all off.

They went on to talk about the hokey miracle juice Jane's mother was selling and Maura surprised Jane with an invitation to Adam Fairfield's wake as access to her deluxe friends.

The event was entirely too awkward for Jane's tastes, fancy dresses, expensive champagne and weird foods that she had no clue how to eat. Etiquette had never been Jane's forte, except when it came to solving a crime. They did manage to cross off some names from their suspect list though so the night hadn't been a complete bust. The next day they finally got the break they needed to solve the case and were able to arrest Garret Fairfield for the murder of his half brother.

The rest of Tuesday was filled with mountains of paperwork, triplicate forms and final reports all needing attention and piled up on her desk. It was a long afternoon.

Later that night Joe had surprised her for dinner by ordering her favorite Chinese food and having it delivered to her door for her even from several states away. He'd called to warn her that a delivery guy would be coming to drop something off but he didn't tell her exactly what. She was thrilled when she opened her door and found the Chinese food delivery guy holding a bag of her favorite food. He handed her a credit card receipt and accepted a few dollars tip before leaving back the way he came. That night they ate dinner together, phones on speaker and enjoying their food 450 miles apart but together in every other way that mattered. Even after they'd finished eating they'd stayed on the phone for a few hours making up for all the frustratingly short or interrupted calls they'd had lately.

* * *

Wednesday evening after work she dropped by her parent's house to check in since she hadn't made it to family dinner night yet again that weekend.

She walked in the door and was assaulted by a vicious hug from her mother. "Ah hi Ma, you miss me? I haven't been gone that long have I?" Jane asked completely bewildered by the force of the hug.

"Oh Jane how come you didn't tell me sooner? I'm so happy for you! If I had known I would have cooked something special and we could have made it a big family occasion."

"Ok stop, rewind please. What didn't I tell you about?" Jane asked still unsure of the current subject of her mother's ramblings.

"That you're dating Joe Grant of course!" Angela Rizzoli beamed at her only daughter.

You could have knocked Jane over with a feather after the shock that statement caused, she felt like she'd just been sucker punched. "Where in the world did you hear that?"

"Well your father was at a job yesterday and by chance he ran into Russell, you remember Joe's father right? Anyway, they started talking and stumbled onto some interesting news. He said that you and Joe had come by the house for lunch last weekend while he wasn't there and apparently caused a big stir. His wife told him that you two were a pretty serious item and he was sorry he missed you guys. So to make up for that he'd love to have us all come over for a big barbeque at their house and watch the game on Sunday.

Of course your father had no idea what he was talking about but he wasn't about to turn down free food or a big screen TV to watch the game on so he came home and relayed the message to me. I called Sharon to confirm and we had a nice long chat. I tried to call you yesterday but your phone was busy all night." Angela explained to her daughter, giddy with joy over her baby girl _finally_ accepting a suitable man to make her happy and take care of her, one she'd set her up with no less.

She was already envisioning wedding dresses and dark haired grandchildren. Maybe Joe would even be able to persuade Jane to take up a safer job that didn't put her life in danger everyday.

Jane could account for the busy phone considering dinner and catching up afterwards but why hadn't she known about this earlier today?

"Whoa there, back up a minute. You guys were talking about us? What did you say?" Jane was a little worried about what crazy ideas the two of them could concoct given a little gossip and left unsupervised. It was too late to deny the fact; all that she could do at this point would be damage control.

"Oh this and that. Sharon was thrilled to see you again and she felt just awful for what she said to Joe, she didn't know how important you were to him, if she'd known that he loved you when they started that conversation she wouldn't have brought up the long distance thing. She wants to apologize to both of you for doubting your relationship." Angela was happily recapping.

Jane couldn't breathe; did her mother just say what she thought she said?

Joe hadn't ever outright told her he loved her, not with words anyway. There were hints or certain instances that she had the distinct feeling that he might, the way he outlined her face and traced his fingers down her bare back after a romp in bed, the way he was always touching her whenever they went out somewhere, the way he kissed her every morning they woke up together, or even just the twinkle in his eye when he smiled at her. But he'd never vocalized the emotion so she couldn't ever be sure. She wasn't even sure she was ready to handle the implications of it all.

She suddenly got very pale and needed to sit down. She stumbled over to a chair in the kitchen and stared blankly out the window.

What did it mean when the man you're pretty sure you love told his mother before he told you that he loved you? Was he scared? Had he just said it in the heat of the moment and not meant it? All the possibilities were whirling around in her head colliding with each other and giving her a major headache.

When Angela noticed Jane was no longer standing next to her listening to her she followed her trail into the kitchen and found her daughter looking very bewildered. "Are you okay Jane? You look a little flustered."

"Uh, yeah you could say that. I'll be fine in a minute; can you get me an aspirin or something please?" She rubbed her temples to relieve the ache that was forming there.

Her mother disappeared into the bathroom and came back a minute later two pills, she filled a glass with water and handed it all over to Jane.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of Jane, I would have found out about you two eventually anyway. A mother knows these things about her children." Angela tried to comfort her daughter, thinking she was stressed out about her finding out. "It's a major relief for me knowing you'll be taken care of, especially by such an attractive man. Now aren't you glad that I set up that dinner date for you two? I knew you two were perfect for each other right from the start. And to think how hard you protested that night. It should have tipped me off then." Angela happily babbled on, not bothering to check to see if Jane was listening, which she wasn't.

Jane was still zoned out and only partially comprehended her mother's words. They came in and out of clarity to her, her ears picking up a few recognizable phrases like "called the family", "never thought it would happen" and "it's a miracle" before they faded back into background noise and were drowned out with the much louder thoughts in her head.

Did she love him too? Would she have to be the one to say it aloud first? If she did, how was she going to tell him? If he was so serious would he ask her to move to D.C.? Would she even _consider_ packing up her life and following him? If she asked him to, would he move back to Boston to be with her?

The aspir wasn't doing its job fast enough.

Her father came into the kitchen to ask what they were having for dinner and knocked Jane out of her trance. He came over to her to accept a kiss on the cheek "Hi daddy."

"Good to see ya Janie, Russell said you're seeing his boy Joey, so I guess congratulations are in order aren't they." Her father said clearly unaware of anything previously discussed between the two woman. "He's a good kid that one, very respectful."

"Yeah Pa I know, he's very nice." Jane flashed a fake smile hoping it was good enough to fool her parents.

"Good, I hope your mother told you about our plans this Sunday, we're going over to their house to watch the game. Are you gonna be free?"

Jane had been planning on spending the day in bed with Joe but there was absolutely no way she was finding a way out of this. She didn't want to disappoint her family or Joe's by not showing up for an event being held in their honor. She'd have to break it to Joe later when she got home. "Yeah we'll try to make it Daddy, I might be on call though so I can't promise you I'll be there the whole time."

"Well you try your best Janie, that's all we can ask for."

The rest of the night blurred together in Jane's mind, the steak and mashed potatoes they'd had for dinner melded with the cookies her mother had shoved towards her for dessert. Conversations involving plane tickets and flight schedules all bled together into talk of vacations away in foreign places and shared living arrangements.

It was all a little too overwhelming for her so when the first chance to make a clean getaway presented its self she latched onto it ran with it. She was out of her parent's house and back to her own place before she had even processed it.

She wasn't sure if she wanted to confront Joe about this or not tonight, she didn't want to force him into saying anything and she honestly didn't even know how she would respond to him if he did come out and say it. Love was still a relatively new and scary concept for her when it concerned anyone other than direct family members.

She decided she'd sleep on it and deal with it later, Joe would be coming home tomorrow after all. Maybe it would be a better conversation to have in person.

She shot Joe a quick text message letting him know she was going to bed early and she was looking forward to seeing him tomorrow night. She signed it with that obnoxious heart with the less than sign and the number 3 just to see what he would do. She knew it was a cop out but she was feeling a little cowardly tonight so she was actually relieved it meant she wouldn't have to actively talk to him. She was buying herself a little more time to sort out her feelings.

Her phone beeped to alert her to a new text message and she read his answer as she climbed into bed.

**Love you too baby. Good night, we'll be together again tomorrow **

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A/N: And another one bites the dust. I hope everyone enjoyed this, it's fun trying to find ways to fit the episodes into my universe and I hope I'm doing a decent enough job for everyone. I will give out a general warning now that I will be slightly altering a few events in episode 6 so please don't kill me for not following cannon to the dot but I need certain things to happen and not happen, so all can be well in my happy little world. Sorry if that offends anyone but don't say I didn't warn you when it happens next chapter. Any reviews or thoughts you'd like to share are always welcomed, if you want to see something specific happen I've been known to work a few fan submitted suggestions into the mix when requested (cough cough Betherzz cough cough). Thanks for sticking with me this far and reading :-)


	7. Chapter 7

Ok so let's see a show of hands for everyone who thought I fell off the face of the earth...I know there are probably quite a few and I'm terribly sorry about that but life is crazy and things happen. Honestly I don't even know how I feel about this chapter but I had to write something and I hope it seems plausible, I hate having that sinking feeling I missed the Rizzoli mark somewhere. Either way, I only actually accomplished half of what I wanted to happen in my original draft of the chapter so it's another one that got split into two parts and the case (episode 6) will actually be taking place in the next chapter, sorry for the delay. Thank you to all my faithful reviewers, you guys are rockstars! The amount of mistakes you're bound to find is directly correlated to the lack of sleep I've been suffering from lately so once again I apologize, but my brain stops working after too long without sleep. Now on to the good stuff!

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it it's not mine. I'm not getting anything from this except the love of my readers and a few less hours of sleep every night. :-)**

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_It all started with a little silver key, a key that hung on the same ring as his office key and his car keys. He'd walked up to the familiar door and turned the barely used key in the lock to unlock the deadbolt securing the apartment. It was dark inside but the faintest amount of moonlight shinning in from the windows was enough to guide his feet safely around any obstacles and silently down the hall to his destination. The door was cracked open just enough for him to slide through without risking any squeaky hinges alerting the other occupant of the room of his presence and allowed him to advance into the room unnoticed._

_He shed his clothes as he approached the bed in the center of the room, his focus on the lithe body sprawled across the surface, half covered by a sheet. The thin fabric did little to hide the fact that the body it was shielding was decidedly naked, a condition easily deduced by the sheer amount of smooth pale skin on display above the sheet as much as the bare legs and feet sticking out below it. _

_He slid under the cool sheets on the opposite side of the bed and propped himself up on his elbow as he stared adoringly down at the sleeping woman beside him. She hadn't stirred when he snuck in next to her and the bed dipped with his additional weight but shortly after he'd made his appearance and couldn't keep his hands to himself he felt her starting to come around. It was most likely the fingers that traced down her spine and returned to tickle her sides that woke her, though the line of gentle kisses that followed the same path could have been equally responsible for rousing her from the depths of slumber. _

_Regardless of the true culprit, she rolled over off her stomach and tangled her limbs with the other naked body occupying the bed, eyes still closed and a pleased grin spread across her face. "Mmm Joey you can wake me up like that anytime you want, but I thought you weren't coming home until tomorrow."_

_Brown eyes finally met hazel, one set drowsy with sleep and the other burning with a barely contained desire, it's been too long since he's touched her or tasted her skin on his tongue. He bent his head to capture her mouth in a searing kiss, all the longing and pent up desire he'd been holding in until he was back with her again melting into their heated exchange. _

_She broke the kiss and slid a hand to the back of his neck to pull his head down to whisper in his ear. "I missed you baby, welcome home." _

_While he is distracted with trailing kisses across her chest and reacquainting himself with the taste of her skin, her other hand wanders down his chest. She traces his abs and continues lower until she has him firmly in her capable hand. He lets out a groan as she swirls her thumb over the tip of him, spreading the fluid she finds there to act as a natural lubricant then her skilled hand starts stroking him and he looses his concentration, head dropping as he pants into her shoulder. _

"_God, that feels amazing baby, please don't ever stop" _

_Completely contradictory to what he'd just asked, her hand abruptly disconnected from his skin and she used both hands to flip him over to his back before sliding further down the bed. He watched as her head dipped down and he felt a warm breath dance over his sensitive flesh. _

_He picked his head up off the bed enough to catch the wicked glint in her eye, head and deliciously hot mouth just shy of where he wanted it so badly. _

"_Please baby, please" At this point he wasn't above begging and by the twinkle in her eyes he could tell that's exactly what she was aiming for. _

"_Tell me Joey, say it out loud and I will." _

_His brain was short circuiting from too much stimulation, he didn't know what she wanted to hear, just that he needed to say _something_ to her. _

"_What do you want me to say baby?" _

"_Just tell me Joey" she placed a feather light kiss on his tip "Say it out loud" _

_His brain supplied the only logical thought left in his head "I love you Jane, God I love you so much." _

_He heard a triumphant giggle then his mind went blank as she took him into her mouth. _

Joe startled awake Thursday morning extremely uncomfortable and cursing his alarm clock. The dream had been extremely vivid and left him all worked up with no actual Jane to finish the job. Sexually frustrated and irritated that he had to be at work two hours earlier than usual so he could get Friday off he trudged into his bathroom for the longest, coldest shower he could manage. He could tell already that today was going to suck.

It wasn't until later when he was sitting at his desk in his office, the rest of the building all but deserted for at least another 45 minutes that he let his mind wander back to last night and this morning's dream.

It had seemed so real while he was in it, the silver key still connected to the Boston PD keychain on his key ring was the first thing he could recall from the dream, but looked exactly the same when he looked at it now. In fact, the only difference between his actual key ring and the one his dream had conjured up was the missing key to his place in D.C. He took a minute to contemplate the implications of that.

It was obvious his subconscious was trying to tell him something, he just had to figure out what.

Without really thinking about it he pulled his phone out and re-read that last text Jane had sent him last night. He hadn't been expecting the little heart at the end of the message; she'd never signed any of her other messages that way before but it was a welcomed surprise.

There was absolutely no doubt in his mind that he was in love with Jane Rizzoli, he just wasn't sure if she was ready to hear that fact or not yet. That, and if he had the courage to actually speak the words out loud to her.

He'd suspected when he originally talked her into giving their relationship a chance that he'd be the one to say it first if she let it get to that point. Having his suspicions confirmed did nothing to boost his confidence enough to be certain that when he did eventually tell her in person she'd say anything back to him. Writing it out was one thing, but telling her to her face while staring her in the eyes would be something else entirely.

Written words were simple, they were just symbols. There was no emotion attached to them, words could not cry, or run away or hug you. Written words gave you time to process, extra seconds or minutes or hours to think of exactly the right response, the perfect way to react to whatever you are faced with.

Spoken words were tricky; they could have feeling behind them. Spoken words in person especially, demanded immediate answers and caused immediate responses.

He hadn't been nervous returning the sentiment, even though he'd taken the time to spell it out for her so she knew exactly how he felt as opposed to just sending the heart back, she'd have plenty of time and space to let her feelings be known, uninfluenced by anything else. That had been part of the plan in the first place, if she didn't feel pressured maybe that would help her to be able to express her honest feelings. The only problem he hadn't foreseen was Jane not answering his text back at all.

He'd assumed she would have at the very least said good night to him, she always did when they talked before bed, but he hadn't received any sort of response from her, vocal or electronic, yet and it had been several hours since they spoke, however briefly, last night. He was starting to worry that he'd scared her.

They had only been officially together for two months and normally he would agree that maybe they were going a little faster than he usually would but this thing between them hadn't just popped up out of thin air, it had been slowly building up for almost 20 years now. Sure they spent several of those years apart or with other people but he knew at least in his case, he'd kept her in the back of his mind for most of those years.

It was much like a game of chess played between two masters. A long drug out waiting game between two very cautious and tactical players that had started nearly two decades ago and was still going strong, both sides reacting and constantly shifting strategies to accommodate the other's moves . Now that he had her on the run he wasn't going to let her up and walk away from the game before it was over. Jane was not the type pf woman to run away from anything but he had a feeling she wasn't going to make things easy for him either.

That brought him back to the dream itself, or more precisely what his imaginary Jane had said. His own subconscious had been urging him to just grow a set and tell Jane how he felt about her to her face and it had gone about it in a very convincing way. He'd been thinking about doing it for a while but he'd always just stopped himself before he let it slip out. It was hard to go against your own mind though, particularly if he would get the same response as he did in his dream.

Eventually people started trickling into the office building, Eddie stopped by on his way down to his own office to say hello and Tony stuck his head in the door for a quick good morning before retreating to his own office space. A few of the other guys he was acquainted with greeted him with a wave or head nod and Patrick stopped by for their customary morning chat before too long. After he had vacated his office for his own Joe put everything else on his mind on the backburner and finally got to work for real, the sooner he got through the day the sooner he would be back home with Jane.

Much later that day, while he was busy having an informal meeting with some of their FBI regulars tracking a possible terrorist cell on the east coast his phone rang pulling him away from the conversation. He excused himself and put some distance between him and the other people in his group.

"Grant"

"What the hell did you do to her?" The angry voice on the other end was not one he was accustomed to hearing these days.

"I didn't do anything Detective, what would make you think otherwise? I've been at work all day, something you should consider doing yourself." Joe wasn't in the mood to deal with any new sources of stress at the moment.

"I am working, but you want to know who isn't? A certain female homicide detective who has ties to you. She's been spaced out all day; even let a suspect pull a weapon on her and Frost and almost got shot. She didn't look sick when she came in this morning so I know it's not that, she's still talking to the Doc and her mother stopped by at lunch to drop something off for her which leads me to believe that the only other thing that could possibly be throwing her off is you. So I will repeat myself one more time, what did you do to her?"

"I told you I haven't done anything. I haven't even talked to her since last night." Joe growled into the phone "Even if I had said something to her it's none of your business."

"Like hell it isn't. When it starts spilling into her professional life it becomes everyone's business. I warned you last time, you hurt that woman and I will break you. I don't care if I have to go all the way to Washington to do it. I have plenty of vacation time saved up. So whatever the hell it was you said or did last night, fix it _now_ before she does end up getting hurt."

It was getting harder for Joe to keep his temper "I didn't do anything to her alright? I barely even spoke to her at all last night. Whatever the hell is going on with her I don't think I can fix it over the phone and even if I could, I have a job I have to get back to, I can't do anything until later. Good bye Detective." He pressed the end call button and let out a ragged breath. Apparently the day wasn't going much better for Jane than it was for him.

He rejoined the group of FBI agents and got a concerned glance from a familiar face.

"Everything alright man?" Josh Donovan asked him "That didn't sound like a very happy exchange."

"Yeah don't worry about it, just some stuff I have to deal with back home. I'll tackle it later when I can actually do something about it."

Josh nodded in understanding "Ah, lady troubles?"

"Something like that. But let's just get back to work; the sooner we're done the sooner we can all get out of here."

The others agreed and the meeting proceeded as planned.

Later that evening, long after The FBI had left and Joe was gathering up his stuff to head out as well, Patrick stopped by on his way out of the office.

"Finally done for the day? I don't know how you can pull these ridiculous hours every week." Patrick commented knowing how early Joe had come in that morning.

"Yeah I know, it's not exactly my favorite schedule either but it'll be worth it later tonight when I get to spend the night with my girl instead of an empty bed."

"So you're heading back to Boston tonight then?"

A small smile crept across Joe's face as he thought of going home "Yeah Jane and I have some things we need to work out and then we're hanging out with my sisters tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to that, we've never really all had a chance to get together just for fun."

"Was that because you're all busy or because you never got along until recently?" Patrick teased, knowing that it was more than likely a combination of both cases.

"Well Jane and my sister Nikki always got along and my little sister Maggie used to love playing with Jane when she came over to see Nikki when they were kids but she's been acting weird lately, I don't know what's up with her."

"I'm sure everything will work itself out, but I was referring more to you and Jane than your family. The way I heard it from your girl was you two weren't exactly best buddies growing up."

Joe threw a side long glance at him "Just how often do you talk to my girl? You two can't possibly have had enough time to talk about all this during that one conversation in the bar."

Patrick flashed a playful grin "Oh we keep in touch, said she liked me much better than Tony and it might be a good idea for her to know at least one of your friends for practical purposes. She likes to check in every so often and ask how the kids are doing and Teresa has grown quite fond of her. They had a chance to talk last week and she's been bugging me everyday since to tell you to bring her back to D.C. with you sometime soon so they can meet properly."

Joe wasn't so sure he liked this development; last time they'd spoken it hadn't ended well for him. He still had the play-doh to prove it. "Consider the message relayed, but I can't promise you anything. It takes a lot to pull Jane away from the job, I'm still trying to figure out the right incentive. I'm thinking of surprising her with a ticket with her name on it for our three month anniversary next month but that would involve a lot of calling in favors from various people that I'm not really sure want to help me that much."

"I bet it's not as hard as you think it'd be." Patrick had to laugh, he'd been sworn to secrecy by Jane about her surprise trip for his birthday in a few weeks so he wouldn't be sharing that fact but it was funny to see that Joe thought he'd need to tempt her with something other then himself to get her to make the trip to Washington.

"You don't know Jane as well as I do." Joe responded, comfortable with his assessment of Jane.

"That may be true but you underestimate the feelings of a woman in love, it makes them do crazy things you wouldn't otherwise expect from them. Take my Teresa for example, the woman is scared out of her wits of horses, some traumatic experience from her childhood that she doesn't like to talk about, but our second month together I took her on a vacation to West Virginia and she actually went out on a sunset trail ride with me because I thought it would be romantic and I asked her to go. I had no idea at the time, she didn't actually tell me until after we'd already gotten back she was terrified of them but the point is she went. She put her own fears aside for me, so what's so odd to think that maybe Jane would pick you over her job for awhile if you gave her a chance to?"

Joe wasn't entirely convinced "I don't know man, she really loves her job. It's one of the most important things in her life."

"Did you ever consider that maybe she has enough room in her heart for you _and _the job? The two don't have to be mutually exclusive. You're not asking her to sever all ties and pack up her life and move, it's just a few days. You might be surprised how far she's willing to go for you if you'd just ask her." Patrick watched his friend consider what he'd said, he really hoped it would help him in the long run. Jane seemed like a very sweet girl but their relationship was still a bit rocky from the sounds of it.

They arrived at Joe's car first so they stopped beside it as Joe dug in his pocket for his keys. "You might have a point" he conceded "but that's not what tonight's gonna be about anyway so I have to get back to my place so I can grab some stuff and catch a flight home." He unlocked and opened the door then threw his briefcase into the passengers seat and turned back to face Patrick, leaning on the open car door.

"Yeah I hear ya man, go get your girl. Don't forget that little trick I told you about though, it'll save you a bunch of money not having to pay for some of your tickets. Just make sure to check the flights ahead of time for an open seat and don't forget to bring your badge and your weapon. Airport security shouldn't bother you once you flash your badge. The pilots and required air marshal on your flight will love the extra security, you might even make one of their days and take their place and let them stay home, a lot of them really love that."

"Yeah thanks, I'll do that. It'll be nice to save a few hundred bucks and maybe make someone's night all in the same go around." Joe sat down and started his car, rolling the window down so he could give Patrick a proper farewell.

"Alright I'm off, see ya next week Pat."

Patrick tapped the top of the car twice then backed away towards his own car. "Have a good weekend Joe. Say hello to Jane for me please."

"If I remember." Joe threw back at him backing out of the parking space laughing.

When he got back to his apartment he checked the flights out of both Washington National Airport and Baltimore Washington International Airport since it was the tail end of rush hour and Dulles International would be too long of a ride in the traffic. Washington National was technically closer but he was more familiar with BWI since Homeland Security usually used that airport as a guinea pig for new security screening methods and he'd had to be there on several occasions for some on site instruction.

It turned out that Washington National had a flight with two seats open leaving at 7:20 as opposed to a later 8:30 flight at BWI that only had one seat left. After making a split second decision he gathered a few things, threw them in a bag and was out the door on the road to the airport. If he hurried he'd be able to catch that 7:20 flight.

He didn't meet any resistance going through the airport after flashing the badge like Patrick had told him to and made it into one of the two open seats on the flight he'd been hoping for. He tried calling Jane but it went straight to voicemail which was odd, but he left her a message telling her he was on his way home and just as an added precaution sent her a text message also.

He had to turn his phone off before he got a response but he was hoping for the best. It wouldn't kill him to grab a taxi home but he'd rather have Jane there to pick him up.

Nearly an hour and a half later, with his bag slung over his shoulder he made his way towards where he had met Jane last time. His heart sank when he didn't see her standing there waiting for him. He took a minute to look around in case she might be in a different place but if she was in the area she wasn't making herself easily noticeable. Dejected, he turned around and started heading for the taxi and shuttle areas.

He never made it there.

Jane ran frantically through the glass sliding doors of the airport and headed directly for the arrivals bay. Her phone battery had died either while out grocery shopping or while her and Maura were eating dinner and she hadn't had previous knowledge of when his flight was coming in to be there, so when she got back home and plugged her phone in and checked her messages she jumped back in her car as quickly as she could and made a bee line for the airport. She actually did pull out the siren this time, regulations be damned. She might have been unsure of her feelings but she didn't want Joe thinking she didn't care enough about him to not meet him at the airport when he clearly made an effort to make sure she'd know he was coming. That would just be cruel after all but ignoring him for almost two days.

She checked the arrivals board and saw that his plane had touched down on time and he should be wandering around somewhere. She scanned the crowds looking for a familiar head of hair (or more likely a hat) but didn't immediately see one. Something caught her eye heading away from her and it didn't take her long to recognize the relaxed stride of her misplaced lover. She ran up behind him and grabbed his wrist.

Joe was startled by the unexpected grip on his wrist and whirled around to see who had grabbed him, ready to start a fight if necessary. He promptly dropped his bag and filled his arms with Jane instead, pulling her in for a relieved hug as he smiled into her hair. "It is so good to see your face baby, I was afraid you weren't coming."

Regardless of any unresolved feelings, she pulled back from the comforting hug to look him in the eye. "I'd never leave you stranded Joey" She pulled his head to hers for a sweet welcome home kiss then pulled back a moment later just enough to meet his eyes "at least not if I could help it." She added on to her previous statement with a tender smile.

"So you won't leave me standing out in a parking lot in the middle of the night with no wallet and no phone like you did that one time?" He returned her smile, recalling their past.

"Hey that was mostly Nikki's fault, she was the one driving." Jane pinched him playfully "Besides, if you recall I came back after she dropped me off at home and picked you up off the side of the road so you wouldn't have to walk all the way home through the bad part of town in the dark."

"I do remember that, it took a bit of convincing that you weren't gonna just do the same thing if I did get in your car but you finally persuaded me. I seem to remember you callin' me a stubborn bastard actually; you were such a sweet talker." He kissed her forehead, laughing at the memory.

"Yeah well you were being difficult and no matter how much I didn't like you at the time I still didn't want you actually getting hurt. Water balloons and pricker bushes are one thing, getting stabbed or shot is something entirely different. I was willing to play along with the games as long as neither of us got seriously injured."

Joe ran a finger down her cheek and pushed a stray piece of hair back behind her ear. "Did I ever thank you properly for that night? You didn't have to come back for me but I was damn glad you did, there were a lot of shady people out there and I wasn't exactly close to home."

Jane's husky voice was soft and teasing "No, I don't think you did. You were a bit of a gansta wannabe back then, always wearing your shades and the backwards hat and the chains on your pants, you didn't have many manners."

"Well let me rectify that situation now." He whispered as he leaned in to her for another kiss. He brushed his lips against hers between each word, finally gaining access to her mouth on the final word. "Thank…you...Jane…Rizzoli"

Despite her earlier worries Jane couldn't help but melt into the kiss. Joe had a way of sliding past all her defenses and just making her feel good. She made a happy little groan somewhere in the back of her throat and Joe pulled back smiling at her.

"You're welcome" she finally managed to answer back, happy to have Joe back despite the discussion she knew was inevitably looming in the near future.

"Jesus, I've missed you. Are you sure it's only been two weeks? It seemed longer."

Jane let out a subdued chuckle and grabbed his hand to lead him out of the terminal. "If you want to be really technical I guess you could say it wasn't even an entire two weeks, but 11 days is pretty close."

Joe grabbed his bag and put his arm around Jane's waist as they walked. "It's still too long in my opinion. We should see about relocating Massachusetts so it can be closer to Washington, we don't really need those states in between right?"

"Oh yeah that whole tri-state area is hardly used at all, there isn't one of the largest cities in the world on one of those states or anything."

"Now, now, don't be snarky babe. Maybe we could just swap out Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. Then I could just drive over the border and you'd be right there."

The very thought of moving states just for their benefit made Jane smile "You work on that and I'll work on the teleporter you wanted. We can see who gets done first."

They both shared a laugh as they exited the building. It was an uneventful trip back to her place, Joe had teased her about pulling out the emergency light but was otherwise preoccupied thinking of other things leaving her to focus on driving in peace. Since neither was willing to be the first to acknowledge the elephant in the room between them, they both dubiously ignored the fact that there was something they really _should_ be talking about.

When they got up to Jane's apartment Joe beat Jane to the door and pulled out the familiar silver key that would unlock it. He shook his head as he turned the key and opened the door mumbling under his breath then threw his bag on the floor off to the side.

Jane couldn't quite make out his words. "You say something Joey?"

"Nah don't worry about it, I was just remembering a dream I had last night."

"Oh really? A dream that involved unlocking my door?" Jane asked curious what kind of dreams his mind would concoct. "Do tell."

He knew better than to just jump right into a subject like that, the transition into that conversation would definitely need a bit more finesse. "I'll tell you later, I promise. How about a snack first? I didn't have enough time to eat anything before I had to catch my flight."

It was too good an opportunity not to tease him just a bit "You're deflecting Joey, why won't you tell me about your dream?" It wasn't common she found something he wasn't willing to talk about, which of course intrigued her even more.

"I'm not deflecting; I'm post-poning the subject until later." He corrected, walking into the kitchen and ducking his head into the refrigerator to conceal the blush starting to stain his cheeks pink. "What do you have in this fridge of yours that's actually edible?"

She knew whatever he was hiding had to be good, not only was he changing the subject but he wouldn't look her in the eye. She was getting a vague notion of what kind of dream it had probably been.

Sex she could handle, it's what she knew and was comfortable with. She could tease him about having dirty dreams about her until the end of time and she'd never get tired of it. Sex was safe territory, she didn't have to skirt around that topic like certain other things. Especially not when she enjoyed it so much when it was with him.

Her voice picks up a mischievous quality "I don't know Joey, how about we make a compromise."

Joe lifted his head from the fridge and straightened out, keeping his left hand on the opposite door handle, the impish glint in his eyes betraying the notion he hadn't had more than just a mild interest in what she had to say.

Jane knew she'd peeked his interest with that, all she'd have to do now was offer the right incentive and he'd be singing like a bird in seconds. "How about you let _me_ worry about feeding you and _you_ tell me all about this dream of yours?"

"You're gonna cook for me? Just to hear about some teeny tiny little inconsequential dream that may not even involve anything to do with you?"

He was incredibly easy to manipulate, a trait he'd apparently picked up sometime during their prolonged separation that she absolutely loved about him and so often used to her advantage. She stepped up behind him and spoke over his shoulder directly into his ear "Don't try that with me Joey, you know it'll never work. Unlike you, I'm still a detective and I'm trained to follow the evidence." Her left hand wrapped around his waist, thumb hooked onto his belt, palm covering the fly of his pants, fingers just brushing his crotch.

"You didn't get reminded of anything until you unlocked _my_ door, in _my_ city, with the key that _I_ gave to you. _I_ had something to do with your little dream. Now be a good boy and tell me what you dreamt about" she paused for a moment to kiss the back of his neck "maybe I can make it come true." She nuzzled the side of his neck for a second before she sank her teeth into the juncture of his shoulder and his neck.

The tingling shudder that ran down Joe's spine reverberated all the way to his toes. There was no way he'd make it out of this alive. Jane Rizzoli was going to be the death of him and he was going to die a happy man.

Just as quickly as her presence had surrounded him she was gone again leaving him shivering in the wake of her touch just as much as from the cool air billowing out from the open door he was still standing in front of.

"Of course if you don't want to share with me, you can always fend for yourself. You know where the take out menus are." Jane said from a safe distance behind him, leaning on her hip in front of the sink wearing a triumphant smirk.

It took longer than he'd intended to close the door and turn around to face her. His eyes were a mess of trepidation and desire, an unusual but heady mix to face when they stared Jane down directly.

"I tell you, and you have to swear to me that you will keep an open mind. Do I have your word that you will let me explain my stance on the matter and not immediately freak out?" The gravity his tone had taken on froze Jane in her spot. She suddenly felt like maybe she was in a little bit over her head this time, it wasn't just about sex like she'd initially thought.

She already knew what he wanted to talk about; she'd spent all day running through possible scenarios as to how it would happen. Propositioning him with food and sex was not on her original list of ways that certain conversation would be brought up though. "Scout's honor."

Her attempt at a little bit of levity was weak at best, compounded by the fact that he knew Jane better than she thought he did and he had her cornered.

"Nice try babe, I know for a fact that you were never a scout. Now do we have a deal or not?" He advanced towards her slowly, taking a few long strides until he was standing in front of her.

He watched her carefully as she made up her mind, eyes never leaving her face as she stared straight back at him. She wasn't going to back down just because he got in her face, it wasn't in her nature.

"Just say it." Jane suddenly broke the silence that hung between them.

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing. It's not you know, it's usually a good thing."

"No, it's not bad, it's just not something I'm used to dealing with so just say it and get it over with."

Joe cocked his head to the side regarding her for a moment "You know most women would be extremely happy about this, why does it bother you so much?"

Jane finally broke eye contact and looked down for a split second, nibbling on her bottom lip. "It terrifies me. I've been taking care of myself since I was old enough to get my own place. Growing up the way I did, I never got much respect from anyone, let alone my parents. So I became a cop, worked my way up to homicide and never looked back. I've always tried to be tough you know? To do the right thing and stand up for those weaker than me who can't defend themselves but it gets old really fast always having to prove myself to the guys of my unit and everyone else just because I'm a woman. Making a difference in this world is dangerous and hard work, most guys are willing to respect the gun and the shield but not always the woman holding them.

They always ask all the questions I can't answer because they don't always have easy explanations. Where am I during the day? What case am I working on? Do I have backup? Am I being reckless or risking my life? If it's not that it's, when are you going to be home? Why do you always cancel on me? Why won't you talk to me? Is the job really that important?

My job has been the one constant thing in my life that I did myself that I believe gives me a little bit of that respect that I've always craved and nobody ever questioned. Most sane men will take one look at the badge and decide there's too much baggage involved, or they can't handle a strong woman who can think for herself and doesn't always need a man to be there to save the day. If they see the badge and still ask me out I have to wonder is it because of the handcuffs or the woman holding them? When people ask me why I've never been married you know what I've always told them? Because any man I could love wouldn't want me doing my job, and I love my job.

And really any decent man _shouldn't_ want me doing my job. I see the worst of people everyday, the drugs, the violence, the most horrible depravities man kind is capable of and I choose to surround myself with that day after day. After awhile it taints you, every case chips away just a little bit more of yourself until what's left is so different than what you started with it's hard to decipher the real person anymore, and it's hard to believe anyone would willingly choose to subject themselves to that. But what I do helps people, I get monsters off the streets so that my city will be just that little bit safer for a kid to walk down the street or so those people who died before their time and their devastated families finally get some justice for what happened to them. Most people don't understand that, I'm not used to having someone that knows that darker side, who really gets it and still chooses to stay by my side. It's never happened before. I was never always truly convinced it would someday."

Joe listened to Jane's reasoning and formulated exactly what he needed to say for Jane to accept his feelings. He tilted her chin up so they were looking each other in the eyes again. "Jane, I know you, I grew up with you. We went to the same schools, lived in the same neighborhoods and we got essentially the same job. I've never wished you were anything less than you have ever been, except maybe a bit less of a pain in the ass." He picked up on her hands and kissed the back of each before twining their fingers together.

"I know what it's like to work your job, I was there and I saw most of the same things you did and I know why you chose to do it. I know why you still choose to do it today. Yes, being a cop changes you but it doesn't have to completely change you. I look at you and I can still see that little girl who beat all the boys at flag football during summer camp or the rowdy teenager who stuck up for her little brothers when they got bullied no matter what. We didn't call you Punisher for nothing you know, you earned the name. It's in your blood to help and protect other people, to make criminals pay for their injustices and that's one of the things I love about you.

Yes you're strong, you don't need me to be here with you but I've seen the difference in you when you let me be Jane, I know I can make you smile, I can make you happy. I will spend the rest of my life finding ways to make you happy if you'll let me. I want to take care of you and make sure you're safe from harm just like any other decent man would but I already know you can take care of yourself, you don't need me checking in every ten minutes so I don't. I respect you enough to wait until you are ready to talk to me about what you are comfortable talking about. I don't ask if you have backup or where you're going because I trust your judgment and I know you're already doing what you feel is necessary for whatever situation you find. Even when I was your commanding officer I never looked down on you, I looked beside me where all my other comrades were and you were always standing there with them.

I know you love your job and I never asked you to change that fact, just don't let it be the _only_ thing you love. I don't even care if you think you're tainted; I'm just as jaded as you are. We can help each other heal, have something special that we can both work towards keeping safe. You deserve to be loved just as much as anyone else, probably more so actually, for choosing to do what you do and being who you are to your friends and family." He gave her hands an extra reassuring squeeze as he poured out his feelings to her.

"I'm not asking you to pretend that you can't protect yourself anymore; all I'm asking is that you let me help you along the way. You don't always have to do everything alone Jane, share your burden with me, let's work as a team, I'll have your back and you'll have mine. I promise you won't regret it." He paused and made sure he still had her full undivided attention before continuing, releasing his grip on her to cup her cheeks in his hands.

"You're an extraordinary woman Jane Rizzoli. I trust you with my life and all my heart because I love you."

Joe used his thumbs to wipe away what could have been tears if she'd let them fall, from the corner of her eyes before pressing a kiss to her forehead and letting his lips linger there.

Jane wasn't using any words to communicate but her eyes were practically screaming with emotion when he finally did meet them again.

He'd been hoping for some sort of verbal answer back, an 'I love you too' would have been nice, or even a 'thank you Joe' would have sufficed for now. He didn't get either response but the one he did get was probably even more satisfying.

Jane couldn't find her voice but she knew what she wanted to do to make sure he understood her anyway. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down to meet her own and kissed him like he was the very oxygen she needed to breath. It was deep, intense and passionate, hungry licks and playful nips building into heady caresses, mind numbing and sinfully hot all wrapped up in one blissfully perfect kiss.

She pressed her mouth to his again and again and he returned the kiss deeply, losing himself to the sheer physical thrill. His entire body tingled, his senses were hyperaware of every curve of the body pressed against his. He felt anxious and hungry and happy and relieved all at the same time, and the only thing that made any sense anymore was to keep kissing her.

He never wanted it to end, she was inclined to agree.

Ultimately the need for oxygen over ruled both their desires and they broke apart gasping for breath and desperate for each other. They didn't stay separated long, their mouths found their ways back to each other as if magnetized and they attacked each other with a fierceness previously unknown to them both.

They blindly fumbled out of the kitchen and toppled over the back of the couch. They wouldn't be making it to the bedroom this time around. She's completely out of control, fingers twisting in the back of his shirt as she clings to him. He pulls her down onto the couch, and she takes the initiative to climb astride him, grinding down against his erection, mouth claiming his again in a desperate kiss. His hands make short work of her shirt, sending it flying somewhere across the room to be found at a later time. She unbuttons his with sure fingers, ripping the garment off his shoulders and letting her fingertips roam the warm flesh beneath. She loves his body, all lean muscle and smooth skin.

He unsnaps her bra and tosses it, his lips immediately homing in on one of her taut nipples, teeth nipping for a brief moment of total ecstasy. With a breathy moan she thrusts her hips against his, teasing them both but loving the sounds she pulls from his body. In retaliation he pulls her head down again for a hard possessive kiss, tongue dominating her mouth as she moves a hand down between them to rid him of his pants and boxers. He returns the favor, popping the button of her slacks and nudging the dark purple panties underneath down with them. It takes some creative maneuvering for a moment to drag the garments from both his legs and hers but as soon as she's able she's back grinding down against him. He switches his attention to her neglected nipple and manages to coax a scream out of her when he bites down on one and brings his hand up to fondle the other he'd just left. She reaches down to stroke him, and he groans into her neck as she runs a fingertip across his sensitive head. It's so similar to the move his dream Jane had pulled it's hard for him to stay in control.

Hearing him groan drives her wild, loving that she was the reason he was making those sounds. She positions him exactly where she wants him, relishing the feel of him so hot, hard and ready for her. He tries to thrust up into her, growling her name, whether it's a plea or a warning she's not sure but it only fuels her further.

She teases him by leaning away from his hips and actually giggles like a little girl "You sure I'm worth it Joey?"

He groans again, trying to focus his mind enough to form words through his lust driven haze "You've always been worth it Jane, it's always been you." he manages to gasp out as he continues to lavish her chest with nips and licks. As much as he's enjoying his current activity though, he wants more of her, so his fingers slip down between them to rub lazy circles into her clit to kick start the fun.

"Don't hold out on me now baby, let me have you."

She gasps and the sudden jolt she receives from his touch pushes him just a little way into her. He tenses, barely curbing the urge to just grab her hips and pull her completely on to him. Instead she moves on her own, letting him slide in a little further then almost all the way out again.

She's driving them both crazy with her teasing, so close and yet still not completely joined like they know they both want.

"Look at me Jane" he surprises her, and she hazily meets his intense gaze. "I love you, all of you."

Something glitters in her eyes as he meets her stare and they both smile. Slowly she sinks down onto him, taking him in inch by glorious inch until he's filled her completely. There is nothing holding her back anymore, no hesitation as she starts to move, arching against him and setting the pace. His hands close over her waist, guiding her, lending her movements a rough edge that was unexpected but wholly appreciated. His hand slides back down between them and his thumb finds a slow, hard rhythm against her clit spilling a groan of encouragement into his mouth as their lips meet again. She trembles, digging her fingers into his strong shoulders and scoring a set of red marks down his back with reckless abandonment.

The need building in her intensifies to searing proportions as they move, breath coming in shallow gasps she screws her eyes shut tightly taking him hard and fast. She knows what's coming and wills herself over the edge, desperate for relief from the smoldering heat filling her.

When she topples over the edge it hits her hard, knocking her into mindless rapture. All she can do is feel, all other senses having faded from existence to her. She falls forward, forehead pressed against Joe's as she tries to remember how to breathe. She's dimly aware of him pulling her hard against him as her thrusts up a few more times, his own fingers digging into her flesh and returning the favor she's done to him as he finds his own release.

As the aftershocks fade and she slowly comes back to her senses she opens her eyes to find him smiling. He's still recovering also but the smile on his face shines with so much warmth and love that she can't help but curve her lips into an answering grin.

"I love you too Joey." She whispers shakily snuggling into his embrace.

If he could stop time and live forever in a single moment this would be the moment he chose.

Of their own volition his fingers soothingly trace lazy lines and patterns over her back. "Thank you Jane." He answers, voice low, still rough with desire.

She closes her eyes with a happy sigh, burying her face in his neck, savoring their closeness, his skin still warm against hers, the calming thud of his heartbeat against her chest. If given the option, she would have stayed like that all night.

Unfortunately reality intruded on their moment of peace all too soon with an unexpected knock on the door.

They shared confused glances and tried to ignore the knock hoping that if they didn't answer whoever it was would go away. They had no such luck when a second knock came a few moments after the first, followed by a familiar voice. "Come on Jane, it's me, let me in already, I know you aren't sleeping."

Jane scrambled to find enough clothes to cover herself up decently enough to open the door. "Hold on a sec Frankie, I'll be right there."

She grabbed Joe's shirt before he got to it and did up enough buttons to cover all the essential bits then rummaged around for his boxers as well and slipped them on as she pushed Joe towards her room with his bag and any bits of clothing she could see on the floor.

She ran a hand through her hair and swung open the door just as Frankie was getting ready to knock again. "What do you want?" she grumbled in her best grumpy older sister voice as she leaned against the door.

He glanced at her outfit, clearly not her own and quirked an eyebrow. "Well I guess it is true then. I hope I wasn't interrupting anything." He tried to look over her shoulder into her apartment "Where is he?"

"Where is who?" she tried playing coy, hoping it would throw him of but knowing it probably wouldn't.

"Ma just told me family dinner is going to be a barbeque and watching the game over at the Grant's house on Sunday so I'm assuming since you're the one who had a thing for everyone's favorite former Police Lieutenant that he is the reason for the switch and that he's around here somewhere. I just wanted to see it for myself since I know how much you two used to be at each other's throats and make sure this wasn't just another one of Ma's crazy plans to get you together with him."

As if on cue Joe walked out from the hallway wearing a pair of jeans and a white tank top and right into view of the door.

He came over and greeted Frankie with a warm smile and a hand shake. "Hey Frankie, good to see ya again. How have things been goin'?"

Sensing that this wasn't going to be the quick conversation she had hoped it would be Jane ushered her little brother in the door and over to the stools by the kitchen.

"Like wise Sir, everything's been fine, nothing exciting to report." Frankie replied with grin watching his sister retreat into the kitchen and grab something from her fridge.

"Hey, when we're all away from the job like this it's just Joe." He corrected, taking a seat on the other stool next to his "So what brings you around so late on a Thursday night?"

"Well it's not a usual occurrence; I just wanted to make sure you were really back. I remember you said you got a job in Washington but I didn't know you were back in town, so when Ma told me we were all headed to your house on Sunday I knew either I must have missed something or she was scheming again. I've been on the receiving side of her set ups just as much as Janie has and I know how annoying it is. "

Joe was surprised when he mentioned the get together at his parent's house, but he was very good at hiding it. "Yeah it should be a good time, between both our Moms I'm sure we'll have plenty of good food and my Pops has a sweet flat screen for watching games on." He glanced at Jane to gauge her reaction. "As far as I know it's not a scheme for anything, if it were I think it's a little bit too late anyway."

She was busy boiling some water and heating some oil in a frying pan as she cut up some chicken breast into cutlets.

"Hey don't look at me, blame both our Pops. I only heard about it last night, they set the whole thing up between themselves. Apparently your dad was bummed he missed us last time we were there so this was supposed to make up for it." Jane explained only half paying attention to the conversation.

"Well I guess if it's for real then I'm in." Frankie threw in "So when did this whole thing start?" gesturing between the two of them.

"None of your business" Jane answered the same time Joe said "About two months ago"

Frankie whistled watching Jane as she worked "That long ago and Ma is just finding out about it now? That's impressive, she usually weasels these things out of people after the first few days. What's your secret so I can use it next time?"

Jane snorted "Try having 450 miles between you and you should be just fine. Long distance is just loads of fun." she said voice dripping with false enthusiasm.

"What? You mean you aren't back in Boston?" Frankie turned back to Joe stunned.

Joe shook his head "Nah, I have a position with Homeland Security in D.C. I just come back home so we can spend the weekends together. It isn't ideal but it works for now."

"Wow, alright then, that's quite the commute."

Joe smiled at Jane while she breaded the cutlets and started frying them "It's not as bad as it sounds. It's only about an hour and a half plane trip and it's definitely worth every second."

Jane looked up from what she was doing and returned his easy smile.

Frankie watched them, amused that his typically feminist sister was being so domestic and not even making a fuss about it. He knew she was capable of cooking, she was more adept in the kitchen than he was for sure, not that that was saying much, but he very rarely saw her actually cook on her own.

They looked happy though, Jane had never been very forthcoming with her feelings but if what he was reading from Joe carried over to her also then he could tell they had a good thing going. If they could make it work with that many miles between them they must really be serious about each other.

He'd heard the office talk about them, there had been more than a few bets between the cops who knew their history or saw the way they reacted to each other, about when they would hook up. His leaving had squashed most of them but it wouldn't surprise anyone to have the speculations finally confirmed. Grant had been a decent enough superior officer and he was a legend with the guys in narcotics so he did have a healthy amount of respect for the guy. If he could mellow Jane out then he'd gain even more.

Still, he was glad to know his big sister had found someone that would make her happy, as much as she protested she didn't need a man to be, he could tell he made a difference. For one it had been a long time since he'd seen her smile like that, for another, unless he was mistaken, they were keeping each other satisfied in the bedroom department. Not that he really wanted to think about his sister or his ex-superior like that, but it was a valid point. Everyone knew that people regularly having sex were generally happier than those who weren't.

Jane crossed the kitchen to get a plate and put a paper towel over it then started pulling finished cutlets from the pan and putting more uncooked ones in. She turned to her little brother "Did you eat? I know this dope didn't but I hope you had more sense then him."

Frankie had to chuckle, it was still the same Jane, committed relationship or not. Hiding her concern in between gentle mocking and affectionate insults. "Yeah I grabbed something before I stopped over here, don't worry about me. Take care of your guy Rachel Ray."

The glare she threw him only made him laugh more. She opened a box of macaroni and cheese and poured the macaroni into the boiling water, purposefully ignoring him.

"Oh come on Janie, you had that one coming. You never cook" Frankie pointed out.

"If all you're gonna do is call me names you can leave you know. I'll see you tomorrow at the precinct or at the very least on Sunday. Unless you have a valid reason for stayin?" She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a pointed stare.

"Fine, I'm gone. I have the answers I came for anyway." He got up of the stool and went over to give Jane a hug despite her attitude. While he pulled her close he whispered just loud enough for her to hear "I'm happy for you, both of you."

They shared a knowing smile, then he and Joe exchanged farewells and Jane led him out the door. "Bye Jane" he yelled just before the door closed in his face.

"Well that was interesting." Joe said vacating his stool to stand beside Jane as she finished cooking.

"Yeah, sorry I forgot to tell you about that thing on Sunday but I was a little preoccupied with other things and then you were here and, well you know the rest. I didn't really think it would be much of a problem anyway. Besides Frankie we all pretty much know each other so there shouldn't be any awkwardness. As long as you and your mom decide to get along this time that is."

He didn't want to think about what happened last time, he still held a bit of a grudge against his mother. "I'm sure she'll behave better this time, especially with everyone else around it'll be harder for her to corner me like she did last time."

"We can stick together if you want, just in case. I hate dealing with mothers alone, they're nothing but trouble."

"I won't argue with you on that one." He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and balanced his chin on her shoulder to watch what she was doing. "So whatcha makin?"

"What does it look like I'm makin? I'm makin you dinner like I said I would before we got distracted by…other things."

He kissed her cheek in gratitude "Thank you baby, you didn't have to."

Jane arched an eyebrow and craned her neck back at to the side to look at him over her shoulder "You just arranged your whole work schedule to be able to hop a plane from 450 miles away to come home to tell me you love me and jump me without eating anything since lunch, so maybe I'm feeling just a little bit appreciative at the moment and think that it's the least I can do for you, since you've been doing so much for me lately."

"It was all worth it though, the long days at the office and the cramped plane rides are a small price to pay to be able to spend 3 days and nights with you in a row pretty much every week." He hugged her just a little bit harder and pulled her to him so she was leaning back in his embrace.

Rubbing a hand up and down along his bare arm Jane added to her last statement with a naughty little smile "I also thought maybe if I fed your empty stomach you'd tell me about a certain dream you had but refused to talk about. Maybe we can even work out a reenactment if it's as good as you're making it seem it was."

"Oh it's good, but recreating my dream may be more fun for me than you. I'm sure we can add our own variations on it to make it more interesting though."

"I'm sure it won't be a problem, we have pretty good imaginations." Jane turned off the burner under the macaroni and drained the water from it to mix together the cheese sauce. "Can you grab me the butter and milk from the fridge please?"

Joe collected the required items and met her back at the stove to mix them all together with the cheese packet. The meal was rounded out with a microwavable single serving of steamed vegetables and then presented to him on a plate. They sat side by side at the divider, Jane leaning back against it nibbling on a piece of chicken as she watched Joe eat.

"A guy could get used to this you know babe." He teased as he eagerly dug into his over due dinner.

"Well I hate to burst your bubble but don't, because it's not happening everyday. You know better than that." Jane was quick to remind him, she didn't mind cooking once in awhile but she wasn't about to start doing it all the time.

"Spoilsport"

"Bottomless pit"

"Party pooper."

"Glutton"

Joe only protested that last one "Hey, if you're going to accuse me of being a sinner you should at least pick one of the more interesting ones."

"Like what, Pride?" Jane asked quirking an eyebrow skeptically.

"Well hello Pot, name's Kettle." He shot back, ready to call her out on her own vices just as easily as she could for him.

He trailed his right hand up her thigh until he met the fabric of his own boxers "I was thinking more along the lines of lust."

She smacked his hand away playfully "No more dessert before dinner. Finish your food and then we'll see."

"You're awfully bossy tonight babe, I don't know if I approve of this new development."

"Oh hush, I'm no bossier now than I am any other day and you've never had a problem before."

"I know but that was then and this is now. You weren't ever wearing nothing but my clothes and sitting less than two feet away from me any of those other times."

"Well if you spent more time eating and less time whining you'd be done already and then maybe both of those things can change." Just as she'd hoped, the temptation of more exciting activities shut him up until he'd cleaned his plate.

He got up and rinsed of his plate then put it in the dishwasher before turning his attention back to Jane. "Thank you for that babe."

"Your welcome. Now I believe you owe me an explanation of a certain dream you had last night. I hope you're ready to share because I won't have a problem interrogating you if necessary, I can be very persuasive when I want to be." As she spoke she started undoing the buttons holding together her shirt one at a time.

Joe watched mesmerized as the fabric came apart and revealed more and more skin. She backed away from him with smooth slow steps until she reached the hall then shrugged the shirt off her shoulders and flung it at him then headed down the hall towards her room. It only took him a second to follow her lead and he was walking down the hall after her ready to face the most pleasurable interrogation of his life.

* * *

Despite it being one of his days off, Joe's body was programmed to wake up at early hours in the morning for work. When he woke up Friday morning and he found Jane's body molded up next to his instead of an empty bed he couldn't stop smiling. He checked the clock on her bedside table and sighed. He didn't have to be awake right now but Jane would have to get up soon if she planned to make it in to work on time.

He took his time waking her up, trailing fingers across bare ticklish skin and whispering in her ear. Jane woke up smiling, blinking the sleep from her eyes as he started trailing a line a kisses down her neck.

"Hmm, is it really morning already?" she yawned reluctant to get up to start the day.

"M'fraid so baby. It's time for naughty little homicide detectives to get up and go to work." He stole an extended good morning kiss before she grumbled and rolled out of bed.

"Fridays are supposed to be something to look forward to but somehow I feel like I'm gonna start to hate them aren't I?"

He lounged back against the pillows as he watched her move around her room, loving how comfortable she was with being naked in front of him. "Only if you never take them off so you can stay in bed with me. Otherwise I hope you'll look forward to them since they will be the first day we get to wake up together all week."

"You may have a point there. Can you do me a favor and tell all the criminals in Boston to just take Fridays off please? That would be so much more convenient."

She gathered up some clothes and headed toward the bathroom to take a shower. Joe was just a few steps behind and jumped in with her.

He knew she didn't have time for anything fun so for the most part he kept his hands in safe places on her body and out of trouble. After they were both dried off and dressed Joe started a pot of coffee while Jane poured them both a bowl of cereal.

"So what do you have planned for the day." She asked around a mouthful of Honey Nut Cheerios.

"I actually have to do a little bit of shopping. I seem to be missing some stuff back at my place in D.C." The look he gave her let her know he'd caught on to her but he didn't seem too upset about her stealing his stuff. She flashed him an innocent grin in return.

"So I figured it might just be simpler if I picked up some extra stuff to keep here instead of toting it back and forth with me every week. Not a whole new wardrobe or anything but some of the basics. That way things won't have a habit of going missing and I end up with nothing to wear to work."

"Sounds like a good plan." Jane agreed "You need me to make some room in my closet or do you think you can handle that yourself?"

"Babe I've seen your closet, there's enough room in there that our clothes wouldn't even touch. I think I can handle that myself as long as you don't mind me bein' in there."

"I wouldn't have offered if I did." The reassuring smile she gave him sent a sudden burst of warmth through him. He absolutely loved it when she smiled at him like that.

She finished her cereal and left her spoon and the bowl in the sink then grabbed a travel mug and a regular mug for coffee. Joe took both their dirty dishes and put them in the dishwasher. "Can I stop by for lunch again if you aren't too busy? I've been craving a spucky from Rondo's for the longest time."

The innocent statement made her laugh when it really shouldn't have. "Yeah I could go for that."

"What's so funny about goin to Rondo's?" He had no idea how anything he said could have been construed as amusing.

"Nothing, I just love that you know what that is. I had to explain it to Maura the other day because she'd never heard the term. She insisted they're called subs or just sandwiches."

They shared a smile at the doctor's expense "That's because she didn't grow up in South Boston babe, she's not in the loop. Did you at least get her one so she knew what she's been missing all these years?"

"Nah I haven't had the time to yet. Maybe I can bring one back for her when we go today."

She poured some coffee into the travel mug and then into the other mug and pushed it towards Joe. He poured milk into both and added a little bit of sugar to his.

"Alright then give me a call if you can get away for a bit this afternoon. I'm gonna call Nikki and see if I can borrow her car so I don't have to worry about carrying stuff around with me on the trains."

"I can drop you off by her house if you know where she lives and save you the trip over there if you want."

He checked the clock again as much to see if she would have time to make the detour as to consider if his sister would kill him for waking her up too early. It was close but there was a chance she'd be up already. He transferred his coffee to her spare travel mug and got ready to go.

"Yeah ok, I'll call her real quick and warn her I'm stealing her car." They both pulled on some shoes and Jane grabbed a blazer to cover her shirt while Joe gladly slid into his leather jacket.

Jane made sure Joe Friday had some water in her bowl then gave her a scoop of kibble before they both walked out the door.

Joe called from the car on the way over and woke Nikki up, but in her delirious state he got her to agree to let him borrow her car for the day. He wasn't sure she'd remember agreeing to it later when she was fully awake but that would be her problem.

Joe gave her directions as they went until they were outside her house. He leaned over across the center console and they shared a sweet kiss good bye.

"I love you baby, have a good day at work,"

"Love you too Joey, enjoy your day of shopping."

Then he hopped out and she continued on to the precinct.

It was still new and exciting to hear Jane say the words and it made him ridiculously happy that she'd accepted his feelings so readily and returned them. He'd been expecting worst case scenarios that involved screaming matches, lots of tears and a broken heart for one of them. It was an incredible relief all it had taken was a serious talk and some really good couch sex.

He knew where Nikki kept a spare key so he retrieved it from its hiding spot and let himself in. The car keys were hanging on a hook on the wall in the kitchen so he grabbed them and looked around for a piece of paper to scribble a quick note on. He found a post it note by the phone and left a reminder for Nikki so she wouldn't see the missing keys and freak out. He was surprised he hadn't been greeted by Toby, Nikki's massive Burmese Mountain Dog, at the door or any time during his break in but it seemed he was just as lazy as his master today.

He slipped back out of the house just as quietly as he'd come and locked the door behind himself.

It wasn't until two hours later that he got the confused call from Nikki he'd been expecting.

"Why again do you need my car on a Friday morning? Shouldn't you be at work in Washington or something?" She had a vague recollection of talking to Joe earlier that morning but it seemed more like a dream at the time.

"I need some wheels to get around while Jane's at work. I have some stuff I have to do and I know you can just borrow Jack's car if you really need to go anywhere." Joe explained as he walked through the mall.

That actually did make some sense to her, she could always steal Jack's car in the odd chance she had to go somewhere but that still didn't explain why he was in Boston on a workday. "Wait, but how are you in Boston so early? Most people have to work on Fridays."

"Says the woman who picks and chooses when she writes." He scoffed "I worked it out with my boss to have Fridays off so I can come home Thursday nights and have an extra night with my girl. You got a problem with that?"

Hearing her little brother get so defensive about wanting to have more time with Jane brought a smile to her face. "Nah, I don't have any problems with that I was just really confused this morning when I went to take Toby out for his walk and my car was missing."

"I did call you beforehand, and I left a note. It's not my fault you don't function before certain hours of the morning."

"Not all of us are bureaucratic pencil pushers little brother. I like being able to make my own schedule. Makes it wicked easy to have late nights and take vacations."

"Yeah I know, I've heard it all before. You don't have to rub it in. You stay at home and write your stories while I'm busy keepin' our country's borders safe with my little highly classified bureaucratic pencil pushing organization. What a hard life you lead." It was an old argument, something that they had been teasing each other over for years ever since Joe had become a cop.

It still made Nikki laugh to hear it "Damn straight, you know how hard it is to be on the New York Times best sellers list?"

"As bout as hard as it is to crack a terrorist cell on the east coast?" They both knew neither was likely to understand the intricacies of the other's jobs but they still had fun bantering.

"Exactly." They indulged in a mutual laugh before she continued "So we're still on for later tonight right? Jack is due back from his trip by 3 so we'll be ready to go anytime you guys are. I talked to Maggie and she said she's done with class already so she can be ready to go whenever."

"Depending on if Jane catches a new case or not today I should be able to pull her away around 5 but you know how she is, I would say sometime more around 7 just in case."

Nikki thought that over for a second before agreeing "Yeah I can work with that. I'll let Maggie know and we can decide where we want to meet later."

"Ok I'll see you later then. Don't worry about your car, I'll take good care of it and drop it off when I'm done. Thanks for letting me borrow it by the way."

"You're just lucky you caught me half asleep Joey, next time it might not be so easy."

"Ah you're all talk. We both know you don't mean it. You haven't been really evil since we both moved out and didn't see so much of each other anymore." He may have had a point but she didn't have to let him know he was right.

"Just bring it back in once piece ok? Don't think I forgot how your first car ended up."

Joe cringed as he thought of his first vehicle and its tragic fate. "You always have to bring that up don't you? That was 12 years ago Nikki, I think I've figured out a few things since then."

"Like not to take turns so fast in inclement weather? I hope so; you nearly gave mom a heart attack that day."

"Ok enough about my driving history, I have to go. I'll see you tonight ok?"

"Yeah, yeah ok. Good bye Joey."

"Later Nikki."

Joe perused the mall until he found what he'd been looking for and returned back to Jane's apartment to put it all away.

As he stood in front of her closet and looked at his clothes intermingled with hers his chest got all warm and tingly and he couldn't stop smiling. One step closer in the right direction.

While he waited for Jane to call him he decided he'd take a nap so he crawled back into bed. Joe Friday jumped up next to him and curled up by his side to join in the napping.

A muffled ring rang out in the bedroom later that afternoon, not quite waking Joe up enough to register what it was, but enough to know it was alerting him of something.

It stopped a moment later so he closed his eyes again to go back to sleep. Then a louder ring right next to his head echoed in the otherwise empty room. This one was a lot harder to ignore than the last one had been. He grabbed the phone from its cradle on the table and answered without thinking "Grant"

"You should be more careful about answering other people's phones Joey." Jane's voice teased over the line.

"Oh damn, I didn't even realize. Sorry babe, I promise I won't do it again."

Her gentle laugh tingled in his ears "Oh no, I don't care if you do, but you might want to think of using a different greeting when you do. You'd probably confuse whoever was calling if you answer my phone with your last name instead of mine."

"Duly noted. But why are you calling this phone anyway? Did you lose my cell phone number or something?" Still not understanding why she'd called her own landline.

"I did call your cell, you didn't answer it. I figured I'd try the main line to see if you were home and just ignoring it."

He reached down under the blanket and disconnected his phone from the clip on his waist. The screen alerted him that he had one missed call. "Sorry babe, I took a nap and slept through it. Are you ready for lunch?"

"Yeah you jerk, that's what I was trying to call you about. We're tying up our case from yesterday so I have some time to go out before I have to start in on the reports." Her berating was gentle enough not to hurt his feelings but its mere presence conveyed Jane's irritation well enough to know he shouldn't keep her waiting.

"Alright I'll be there in a few. You want me to come up and get you or meet me out on the street?"

"I'll meet you outside, I could use the break."

He was already slipping on his shoes and grabbing his jacket "Ok see you soon then."

"I'll be waiting."

He picked her up outside the precinct and they drove over to Rondo's as she told him about the case she'd just closed.

Once they got their lunches they switched topics to more eating friendly subjects and spent Jane's entire lunch break discussing anything but murder. She ordered an extra sub before they left to bring back to Maura and made their way back towards the precinct.

Joe filled her in on the plans for later that evening and told her to expect him to come drag her out of the office if she isn't home at a normal hour. She had no doubt he'd do it too, he didn't care who might see them and connect the dots. Though she was starting to care less and less who knew about them anyway, she just had to make sure to sit down and have that talk with Maura before everyone else figured it out. She'd get around to it soon enough, she'd just been extremely busy lately and admittedly a little bit distracted.

Joe parked on the other side of the street from the building and coaxed Jane into a drawn out kiss to get her through her paper work. They must have been at it for longer than they thought because there was an unexpected tap on the window that drew them apart and left them both blushing like teenagers.

Joe rolled down his window to find Korsak glaring at him none too friendly. "Ok Don Juan, I think that's enough with the PDAs, someone has some paperwork to start." He said refocusing his disapproving glare on Jane.

The feeling Jane was experiencing was a kin to being caught in a compromising situation by her father. Though Korsak was of no relation to her, she sometimes felt he was just as overly protective of her as own family so he might as well be an honorary member. "Ok _dad_, I'm going."

Jane turned to Joe and lowered her voice "And you called_ me_ a party pooper."

Despite Korsak's ominous presence still looming over them Jane leaned in and kissed Joe's cheek. "I'll see ya later Joey, thanks for lunch."

"You're welcome baby, I'll see you at home later tonight right? At a normal hour like we talked about so we can go out with my sisters?" He reminded her firmly.

"Yeah I know, if you don't come drag me out I'm sure Nikki will do it herself. I'll be sure to keep an eye on the clock."

"Good, now get outta here and go do your thing, before Korsak burns a hole through me with those laser eyes he's shootin' at me."

Jane laughed but did as he requested, getting out of the car but ducking her head back through the window. "Now whose being the bossy one?"

"Equal opportunity babe, it works both ways you know." He gave her sly wink then turned his attention back to the brooding man outside his window.

"Isn't that right Detective?"

"I wouldn't know, I got divorced before that rule came around." Korsak remarked off handedly looking off to the side down the street instead of directly at Joe.

Jane could sense the tension building and tried to diffuse the situation by vacating the premises. "Alright I'm off, come on Korsak."

"I'll be right there Rizzoli, just give me a second." He watched as she flashed him a warning glare then crossed the street and disappeared back into the precinct.

"You know that's not really what I had in mind when I told you to fix whatever it was you did to her yesterday. I was thinking more along the lines of flowers or chocolate or something. Aren't you a little old to be necking in your car?"

Joe quirked a sardonic eyebrow at him "I wasn't aware there's an age limit on that. Must have missed the memo."

"You know what I mean Grant, don't play dumb with me."

"Sorry, I was just dropping my girl friend off at work after her lunch break, it won't happen again." He paused to reconsider for a moment "Actually, that probably will happen again. The lunch part anyway, I'll be sure to park further away next time when I kiss her good bye."

Korsak wasn't amused by his answer "You think you're funny don't you little punk? You treat her right and show her the respect she deserves or I'm not gonna be the only one gunning for you."

"Was that a threat Detective? Maybe you forgot that I carry my own shield and weapon too and mine will get me a lot farther than yours will. I don't need to be reminded of what Jane deserves, I know how to treat a woman. Now get off my back before she comes back out here and starts in on you herself."

The warning was subtle but no less serious then the one he himself had just issued. Korsak grudgingly backed off but threw one last comment Joe's way before turning around to go back to work. "Remember our deal, you keep her happy and I keep you in the loop and stay off your case. As long as she's smiling you don't have to sleep with one eye open."

Joe started up the car and answered him flippantly "Yeah I know, and I'm gonna sleep like a baby with her in my arms until then. Good bye Detective, I can't say that I hope to see you soon, as I know you'd rather not run into me either. Have a nice day."

He drove off and left Korsak glaring at his taillights behind him.

When he made it back to the apartment he collapsed on the sofa ready to find whatever mindless daytime television was on to kill some time. Joe Friday came over to sit by his feet and stare up at him with big hopeful doggie eyes.

"No way Friday, don't look at me like that, it's not happening."

Regardless of whether she understood his words or not she didn't stop. She only made it worse when she jumped up on the sofa next to him and sat in his lap.

"Ah hell, come on you little walking mop. But just realize I'm only doing this because I love your mommy so much, not because I enjoy being seen walking a dog with a bright pink leash."

The little dog let out a few happy barks when Joe got up from the couch and headed for the door.

"If this is gonna be a regular occurrence we're gonna have to get you some new equipment, a man can only stand so much pink at one time." He told her as he clipped the leash onto her collar. "What do you say to a field trip?"

She wagged her tail happily in response and he took that as an affirmative. They headed out to the nearest pet store in search of a manlier colored leash and then for a walk around the block.

They returned home later with Joe Friday sporting a new black leash and Joe a little less averse to taking her out for a walk every once in awhile.

When Jane walked through her door a few hours later she found Joe on the couch absently scratching her dog's belly as he watched the end of whatever random movie he's found playing on TV.

Joe turned his head to greet her when he heard the door open. "Hey baby, how was the rest of your day?"

She came over and flopped down next to him on the couch displacing her dog who wandered off to seek shelter elsewhere in her dog bed. Joe leaned over and gave her a quick kiss hello before throwing an arm over her shoulders.

"Boring, lots of writing and filling out forms." She reported "I'm glad tomorrow is Saturday and I don't have to deal with it again for a few days."

"What did you say to Korsak by the way? He was agitated all afternoon but whenever anyone asked him what was wrong he just mumbled something about cocky little punks and no respect. I'm assuming you're the cocky little punk but what was the rest about?"

"Yeah I guess that would be me, but I've been called worse. It's nothing to worry about just a little issue we had to sort out between us. I think we're both clear on where we stand now."

The look she gave him conveyed her skepticism as well as her confusion "Am I gonna have to keep you two separated? I thought you were supposed to be the one who got a long with people."

"Nah you won't have anything to worry about, we just aren't ever going to be very good friends which I'm ok with. But enough about that stuff, how about you go get ready to go out and I'll call Nikki to tell her we're gonna be earlier than we thought."

"Where are we heading anyway?" she asked as she walked towards her room to change into some more casual clothes.

He followed her into her room "I'm not sure, we're meeting at Nikki's house so I can drop off her car and we're going from there."

She opened her closet to grab a pair of jeans and saw the new additions on the opposite end. "So I see you found enough space."

Joe sat down on the edge of the bed to wait for her to change. "Yeah I told you it wouldn't be a lot, just enough to last a few days while I'm here." A sudden mischievous smile graced his lips as he added "I even bought a few extra pairs of boxers in case someone decides she's gonna wear them for pajamas."

She peeled off the shirt she'd been wearing and pulled a new one from her closet to replace it then turned back to Joe. "What a crazy idea."

"Yeah, nothing is sacred anymore is it? Not even a guy's underwear."

"You could always go commando" Jane offered helpfully, as she ran a brush through her hair.

He wrinkled his nose at the suggestion "It's really not as practical as you'd think most times. It especially would not be the best idea if we were going out somewhere nice; it makes it more difficult to hide certain…unexpected physical conditions."

She flashed him a devilish glance over her shoulder as she walked out of her room to put on her shoes and grab her coat. "Is that a common problem for you Joey?"

"When you're involved? More often then it'd like to admit actually. You have no idea what you do to me sometimes. Have I mentioned how much I love those jeans by the way?" He tilted his head to the side as he eyed her up.

"Hmm, well I guess now I have an idea but we don't have any time for that at the moment. Are you gonna call Nikki or should I?" Jane picked up her cell and held it out to Joe, ignoring the last part of his remark until a later time.

Joe ended up calling her as they made their way down to the car and informed her they were dropping by early. Maggie and Jack were already there so when they arrived everyone was ready to head out. After Jane and Jack were introduced and everyone exchanged greetings they all piled into Jack's SUV and headed out for the night.

The place they ended up at was a little crowded but they didn't have to wait too long until they were led to a booth big enough for all five of them. Jack and Nikki slid into one side and Joe and Jane claimed the other leaving Maggie to choose if she would rather sit next to her sister or Jane.

She surprised everyone when she nudged Jane to scoot over and sat down next to her. She was rewarded with a beaming smile from Jane who was more than happy to squish Joe to make more room for her.

Joe and Nikki exchanged happy smiles at Maggie's choice, a seemingly complete 180 turn from the last time they had all been together. A waiter came by and handed them some menus and took their drink order before the conversation started to pick up.

"So you're the notorious Rizzoli I've heard so much about?" Jack asked across the table.

Jane flashed him a warm smile and nodded "Yep, that's me. I hope Nikki hasn't been talkin' too much trash about me, I promise I'm not as crazy as she makes me out to be."

That drew a laugh from everyone at the table, there had been so many stories over the years of her and Nikki's antics as well as her and Joe's that it was impossible to not have picked up at least a little bit of a bad reputation.

"Hey would I do that?" Nikki defended herself "We had some good times growing up Rizzoli, we ladies gotta stick together and have each other's backs."

"Oh yeah? Like when you let me pick a fight with those girls from Monument after one of them took a dirty shot at Kelly Fisher during the first game of the season and then you bailed on me when I called them out on it after the game? You really had my back then."

She actually had a reason for that, one she still stood behind as being valid. "That was my senior year, I couldn't get caught fighting or I would have been suspended and they wouldn't have let me play for the rest of the season. You at least had a reputation for standing up for the little guy so you got away with it with only a warning."

Joe laughed as his sister tried to defend her choices "Yeah that sounds like my Janie, always stickin' up for the underdog." He kissed her temple and slung an arm around her shoulders.

"You don't get much of a say in this Joey, considering the things you used to do to her. I never filled up a squirt gun with Kool-Aid and attacked her in the park when we all knew there was a yellow jacket nest nearby."

Jack winced and sucked in a deep breath at that "That's low man, those little bitches really hurt when they sting and they can do it multiple times too. I hate those things."

"Yeah tell me about it." Jane glared at Joe "I got stung four times before I escaped to the relative safety of the car before I realized two had crawled up my shirt and stung me again when I leaned back on them."

"You weren't supposed to actually get stung; I just thought it would be funny to watch you run from them. In my own defense I did ask around and make sure you weren't allergic before hand just in case."

"Thank god for small favors. I was sore for a whole week after that, I had to sleep on my stomach 'cause my back was so swollen."

At the time it had been one of the funniest things he'd seen but retrospectively he realized it was pretty mean. "I'm sorry I was such a jerk babe, but if I'm not mistaken I'm pretty sure you got me back for that one pretty good."

"Oh yeah, wasn't that the poison ivy incident?" Nikki chimed in recalling Jane's revenge.

"It sure was, I got you big time on that one." She poked Joe in the ribs "It definitely made up for the week of pain."

Maggie had a vague memory of that also "Oh I remember that one, you were extra cranky and wouldn't play with me the whole time. It sucked."

"Well I wasn't such a big fan of it either." Joe shuddered remembering the uncomfortable incident.

Jack was intrigued that Joe hadn't gone into more detail "What? Did she like rub it on your face or something?"

"Better than that" Nikki laughed "She lured him out to the park at night then stole his clothes and pushed him in a big patch of it. He had it everywhere and he was miserable for the like two weeks afterwards until it all finally faded."

"How did you manage to get him to take his clothes off so you could take them?"

Joe turned pink and refused to answer, Jane was equally reluctant to give them a straight up reply.

"You know I never did figure that out." Nikki realized, glaring suspiciously at the pair "Jane wouldn't tell me."

Fortunately for them the waiter came back with their drinks and took their orders giving them a reprieve from story telling. After he left Jane took the initiative to change the topic.

"So Maggie how's school going?"

"Not bad, It's my last semester so I have to decide if I want to go to grad school or not and which one of I do." She replied "I think I may take a year off and then go back."

This was much safer territory for everyone, so Jane clung to it. "What are you majoring in again? I'm not sure you ever really told me."

"Sports Medicine. Med school takes too long, but I can be an athletic trainer or EMT or something along those lines with just a Masters degree."

"Well that's cool, saving lives is important business. Or if you go the trainer route if you get really lucky you can work with a great college or pro team."

Maggie took a sip from her glass of iced tea and smiled "Yep that's kinda what I was hoping for but we'll see."

Sensing that particular conversation was over Jack turned his attention back toward Joe and Jane. "So how did you two meet anyway? I know Nikki said that you knew each other growing up but what's the story there? How come you're just getting together now?"

The two in question shared a look and Jane arched an eyebrow at him to suggest that he should start talking first.

"Um well we went to the same Catholic school, and we ended up sitting next to each other in the same kindergarten class when we were like 5 I guess. I may have teased her a bit on the playground during recess and there is a distinct possibility that she punched me in the nose for it."

Jane picked up the story from there "Of course that didn't deter him, it just made him want to annoy me even more so over the years it became our little game to be mean to or pull pranks on the other person. Once I joined the field hockey team and met Nikki it was even easier for him to get to me since I hung around more. We had some really good ones over the span of middle school and high school, before then it was mostly just name calling and stupid little stuff like that. It did a number on my self esteem at the time but we were just kids so I got over it eventually. I think we were just really bad with giving each other mixed signals though so it never really developed into anything."

Joe took the next part of the story, nodding in agreement. "Everyone in school was convinced we would eventually break down and either kill each other, or hook up."

"I was in that second group." Nikki added, interrupting the story and shooting Jane a bashful smile and a shrug "Sorry Rizzoli, but it was inevitable. He had it so bad for you, I could just never get him to actually admit it. I did torment him at home about that copiously though."

"I remember." Joe rolled his eyes "that's why I tried to stay out of the house as much as possible."

"But anyway, getting back to the story" he continued where he'd left off "When we graduated and we hadn't done either, we mostly just ignored each other for a few years until we both ended up in the Police Academy together. I ran into her at the gym one day during training and our little rivalry started up all over again."

"After we graduated and became cops we worked our separate ways up to detective and he went off to Narcotics and I went over to Vice. We didn't keep in touch once we were separated but that didn't change much, we weren't exactly friends anyway. I learned what I could from the guys in Vice then hopped the fence over to Narcotics also. Imagine my delight when I found out he was still there and busy kissing ass like he used to in school and making a name for himself. We worked a few cases together in Narcotics and actually sort of got along for awhile. Then I finally got the chance to transfer to Homicide which is where I'd wanted from the beginning so I jumped ship and I've been working Homicide ever since." Jane explained.

"When I got promoted to Lieutenant, there was an opening in Homicide so the commissioner asked me if I wanted to take it over and run the unit. I may have been swayed knowing that a certain someone would be working under me but it was a good career opportunity anyway so I took it. Jane was not very excited about it but we worked together pretty well there for awhile."

Joe glanced at Jane to confirm his assessment.

She nodded "For the most part I guess, minus that first case in which you were a giant horse's ass. I still had a little problem with how you handled the politics but you were always better with that stuff than I was anyway." She diverted the conversation back towards the rest of the table.

"Then my Ma decided to play match maker and tried to set us up on a fancy dinner date at my parent's house. Which after I got over the initial shock and awkwardness of realizing it was just the two of us, it looked promising, but of course us being left alone together to our own devices, we kind of sabotaged ourselves even though we both mostly admitted there might be something there between us. Actually, I think that's the first time I ever remember you giving me a compliment that I really thought you meant." She turned her head to regard the man next to her. "You were kinda sweet that night."

"Well I had to prove to you I was capable of being nice. But I didn't see it coming either babe, when I got there and just your mom was home and showed me into the dinning room I had no idea what was going on. You did look amazing in that dress though, I still think it's my favorite thing to see you in." he kissed her cheek then continued for everyone else's benefit.

"Then I got offered the position as liaison between Homeland Security and the city of Boston and I had to decide if I wanted to try to make things work this time around or leave it how they'd always been. I knew I had to take the job because it's a great opportunity but it meant moving to Washington D.C. and leaving Jane for good this time. I had mostly made up my mind and sat on her stoop for about 45 minutes in the rain waiting for her to come home so I could say good bye but then she almost kissed me and I knew I couldn't let her go without giving us a real chance so I finally just kissed her instead and convinced her to do the long distance thing and here we are today."

Jack looked thoroughly impressed "Aw, so you guys are like childhood sweethearts, that's nice."

"If you tilt your head and squint real hard maybe." Jane said "I don't think I actually realized I might even like him until the end of middle school when I lost my favorite Red Sox hat on a school field trip and he let me steal his and keep it."

"Do you still have that hat? It was one of my favorites too, but I figured I had another just like it so I could sacrifice it for a good cause."

"If you had been paying closer attention that day I got Patrick to sabotage your office you might have recognized the hat that tiger was wearing looked familiar." Jane scolded, knowing he probably wouldn't have noticed it on his own.

"Really? I still have the hat back in D.C. along with the shades. Those weren't mine at some point too were they?"

"I don't know, were they? Did they look familiar?" The playful smile that spread across her lips made him suspect that they were but he couldn't place them with a specific instance in his head.

Before he could come up with a response their waiter came back with their food so they dug in. Dinner chat was light but entertaining. Nikki explained to Jane how she'd met Jack at a Celtics game and they'd hit it off. Joe talked a little bit about his life in Washington and the people he'd met there including Patrick and Tony, the only two names Jane recognized.

Jane couldn't finish the fries on her plate so she offered them to Maggie and she stole a few before pushing the rest of the plate over to her brother who happily finished them off. After their plates had been cleared away, they sent Nikki up to the bar for some fresh drinks. Jane nudged Maggie to let her up so she could follow Nikki and help carry them back. She returned to the table with three bottles of her favorite beer and Nikki carrying a mojito in one hand and a Jack and Coke in the other.

Jane slid back into her spot between Joe and Maggie and passed around the beers to both of them. She lifted her drink up to clink against first Maggie's then Joe's bottle "Cheers"

They both echoed the single word then Joe watched amazed as Maggie took a healthy pull form the bottle. "I can't believe Jane got you to drink beer Maggie, how come you never did that when I offered?"

Maggie shrugged and the tips of her ears turned red as she looked down "Guess you just weren't persuasive enough."

Joe immediately interrogated Jane "Just what exactly did you do last time that was so persuasive?"

"Me?" Jane asked innocently, pointing at herself "I just gave her an oatmeal cookie then passed her a bottle. She did the rest on her own."

"You bribed her with cookies?"

"Not the food you jerk, the drink."

"Well that's nothing special" he turned back to his little sister again "What's the real reason?"

Maggie wasn't feeling very talkative so she didn't actually give him an answer so Jane supplied one jokingly for her. "It's cause I'm a girl and I'm prettier then you and you're just a dumb brother, so she likes me better."

They all laughed at her explanation but Nikki noticed the blush that had started on Maggie's ears had traveled to her cheeks. It didn't make much sense so she shrugged it off as a side effect of the alcohol in her system.

In an effort to get Maggie talking again Nikki addressed another question to her "So Maggie, how come you didn't have anyone to bring with you tonight? Don't you have any spare time at school to find a decent guy?"

"I have some time but I just never seem to be able to find the right kind of person. I don't mind not being attached to someone, I just have to find the right someone that I actually like."

Jane sympathized with her and put a comforting arm around her "Hey, that's alright it's not in the rule book that you always have to have a guy you know. Sometimes you get attached to someone who you really love and makes you happy, but it isn't necessary. I sent plenty of years unattached and happy about it; I'm all for being your own person. But don't worry, you're a very pretty girl, it'll be easy for you to find someone if you decide that's really what you want."

Maggie's eyes suddenly got very large then she chugged the rest of her beer in one long gulp and quickly excused herself to go to the bathroom. Jane didn't really understand her sudden urge to flee to the bathroom but she could have sworn she'd been turning a deep shade of red when she ran off.

"What's with her?" she asked to no one in particular.

"You thought that was strange too?" Nikki asked making sure it wasn't just her imagination.

Jane looked between both siblings "Does she usually run off like that? She didn't last time we went out."

"Probably stress" Joe guessed "Or there's some guy she likes who doesn't like her back. Could be why she felt the need to disappear."

"She's been acting wired like this a lot lately though, I don't know what it is." Nikki admitted "I hope she's not in some sort of trouble or mixed up in drugs or something, she knows better when her big brother is a former cop."

"Sometimes that doesn't mean anything Nikki, Tommy's in jail and he has two siblings that are cops. It didn't stop him from being stupid."

"Your brother was always doing stupid stuff anyway, Maggie isn't as reckless. I'm sorry to hear about that but he probably had it coming."

Jane heaved a ragged sigh, she didn't like talking about Tommy, he had made one too many bad choices with his life and never tried to change them. She would always love him because he was her brother but she didn't have to like him for the type of person he'd chosen to be.

"I'm sure Maggie will be fine" Jack tried to comfort "She's a good kid she'll figure it out what it is that's bothering her.

Joe was quick to agree with him "Yeah let's just have a good time tonight and maybe it'll knock her outta the funk she's in."

"I'll drink to that" Jane toasted.

"Me too" Nikki seconded, clinking her glass with Jane's bottle.

Maggie eventually came back from the bathroom back to her normal color and seemingly ok. They spent the rest of the night out sharing stories of funny things that had happened on the job over the years or they remembered from their joint childhoods in or around the Grant house hold.

They left the bar long before closing time but late enough to have gotten a nice buzz from all the alcohol they'd been consuming. Jack had cut himself off early so he could drive everyone home so he ushered his four companions in varying stages of drunkenness and sleepiness into his car. Thankfully Joe hadn't had enough to affect his directional skills and managed to get them back to Jane's place without getting lost. When they pulled up outside her building Joe unbuckled her seatbelt and pulled a sleepy Jane from her seat to lean against him as he said goodbye.

"Thanks guys, it's been fun. Appreciate the driving Jack, I owe ya one."

"No problem man, it was nice finally getting to meet your girl, she's a piece of work." He laughed from the driver's seat.

"Yeah she's a firecracker, but I love her so what can you do right?"

"The feisty ones are always the best kind." Jack agreed with a loving glance towards the woman mostly asleep in the passenger seat.

"Alright night Jack, thanks again."

"See ya next time Joe"

The SUV pulled away from the curb and Joe gently shook Jane awake enough to make it in the front door and up the stairs to her apartment. She made it to the second floor before Joe gave in and just swept her up bridal style and carried her the rest of the way to her door and through to her bedroom.

He pulled off his shirt and shimmied out of his pants then did the same for Jane before crawling into bed beside her and giving into the alluring pull of sleep curled around the woman he loved.

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A/N: Well there you have it, it's said and done. Hope it was up to everyone's standards, I'm still on the fence about it myself. Thanks for sticking with it this far. Any thoughts or ideas you'd like to share I'd love to hear them. Thanks for reading :-) Hopefully next chapter will be out sooner than this one took, even I thought it took me too long...

P.S. Yes, spucky (or spuckie) is a real term that you can hear in South Boston, I promise I didn't make that part up.


	8. Chapter 8

**There are not enough words in the English language for me to be able to properly apologize for my extended disappearance. I just hope at least a few people out there have big enough hearts to forgive me! (Pretty please?) That said here is one long overdue chapter, and the next one which actually is going to have the episode 6 tag in it, is already 30 pages worth of Word document written and still going strong and WILL be up within the next couple days, even if it kills me. It was supposed to be attached to this one but 60+ pages in a word document is too long for any one chapter so once again it got the splits. Any mistakes you are bound to find I'm sorry for but they are a hazard of typing in the middle of the night when I'm tired (which is generally the only time I have to write anymore). Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers who didn't forget about me and those few new ones who came in fashionably late to the party, you're all fabulous and the reason this story is still going! Anyway, please enjoy and hopefully the unexpected siesta this story took didn't affect it poorly. Now on with the show! **

**Disclaimer: Just no. Nothing belongs to me...except Maggie and Nikki (and by association Jack and Toby) but not the point, just say no and you'll get the general jist of how I would answer any question pertaining to ownership rights. (unless of course the question was would you like to own them, in which case the answer is yes please.) **

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Saturday morning Joe was more than happy to lay around in bed a little later than he usually would to let Jane sleep in a bit since she'd missed the opportunity to the day before. With his arm slung over her waist he had easy access the plains of her stomach and slowly rising and falling ribcage. As she continued to sleep he traced lazy shapes into the skin around her belly button and right below her ribs with his fingers. He kept his movements slow and gentle, mindful of her even breathing and how readily her body reacted to even the simplest of his touches.

He used the extra time to himself to think about all that had happened in just the day and a half he'd been back. Quite a few big milestones had been reached and by some odd chance of fate it seemed that everything was going in their favor for once.

When he looked around her room his eyes lingered on her closet door. The thought suddenly struck him that the apartment didn't just seem like _hers_ anymore, with his clothes cohabitating with hers and some of his stuff randomly dispersed through the rest of the space it actually felt more like he could almost rightfully call it _their _apartment. It didn't matter that he only spent three days a week there at the moment, his place in D.C. had never been home to him, it was simply a place to stay during the week until he could come back home to where he actually wanted to be.

It was more than just having a toothbrush in the bathroom next to hers or his shampoo in her shower, it was waking up tangled together in the morning and the lazy afternoons and evenings when they didn't even need to go out to enjoy themselves and be happy. They didn't need fancy restaurants or loud, crowded clubs to have fun. They would just as rather stay at home, watch a game on TV over a couple of beers and be content sprawled on the couch and yelling at the players on the television. Hell he didn't even need the game, he just needed Jane and he was happy.

He tried to imagine them in the same situation in his place in Washington and although he was physically able to picture it, he had trouble actually considering it as a possible future for them. Boston was in their blood, sure they could relocate away from it for a short time but nowhere else in the world would ever truly be home. That posed quite the dilemma for him considering by the looks of things, his future was firmly seeded in the nation's capital.

Before he could spend too much time contemplating that particular predicament Jane started to stir from her position in his arms. His fingers stilled on her stomach and he pulled her just a little bit closer to him so he could drop a kiss behind her ear.

Jane kept her eyes closed, trying mostly in vain to cling to the last vestiges of sleep the morning had to offer. She was entirely too comfortable to get up or even make an effort to exert the energy to open her eyes and face the day.

Joe knew she was awake, she hadn't moved yet but her breathes had lost the natural cadence that usually indicated her lack of consciousness. In a wholly unorthodox attempt to coax her awake he thought back to a song he'd heard last weekend curtsey of Patrick's southern roots. Though the song wasn't really his style, country had never been among his chosen genres of music, he found it fitting for the situation. He only remembered a few verses but he thought it would be enough anyway; chances are she wouldn't even recognize it.

Quietly, he started singing in her ear. "Good Morning Beautiful, How was your night? Mine was wonderful with you by my side, When I open my eyes to see your sweet face, it's a good morning, beautiful day."

Jane smiled at the unexpected gesture but still didn't give any other indication she was awake, silently encouraging him to continue.

"I couldn't see the light, Didn't know day from night, I had no reason to care, but since you came along, I can face the dawn, 'cause I know you'll be there." He dropped a kiss on the back of her neck and finished his serenade. "Good Morning Beautiful, How was your night? Mine was wonderful with you by my side, when I open my eyes to see your sweet face, it's a good morning, beautiful day."

Despite the fact that she'd never heard the song before, the reality that he'd just done something so sweet and unanticipated for her made her heart race and gave her that warm and fuzzy feeling all over. She finally rolled over in his arms to face him.

He met her drowsy eyes and easy smile with his own sincere smile splashed over his face. "Good morning baby."

He kissed her on the nose and she answered him by giving him a proper kiss good morning. She took her time, indulging in the languid slide of her lips against his. When she pulled back her eyes were closed again and she let out a blissful little groan.

"I could have sworn I went to bed with my man last night but somehow I wake up with Garth Brooks? I must have had more to drink than I thought." She had no idea who actually sang the song but the words and the way he'd sang it reminded her of the few country songs she happened to actually recognize.

"Well I had to get you up somehow or you woulda been playin' possum all morning. If you really don't like my singin' though, all you have to do is tell me and it won't happen again."

Jane was quick to correct his faulty assumption "Don't even think about it mister, it was sweet, and I happened to love your voice so you can sing to me whenever you want, but where in the world did you learn the words to a song like that? Are they tryin' to turn you into a country boy down there in the south? Because I'm not sure I approve of that."

He pulls her over his body so she's lying nearly on top of him, head pillowed against his shoulder and legs tangled up in a jumble under the covers. With his arms encircling her body in a tender hug she's seriously considering never leaving the bed at all. "Nah, blame your best buddy Patrick. It was all his fault, he invited me to his house last weekend for an afternoon barbeque/lunch thing with a few of the guys and he had his satellite radio tuned to some country station playin' in the yard. I heard that song playing in the background, I don't actually know what it's called or who sings it but those two verses stuck with me for some reason."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead and let her snuggle as close as she could into his side. He ran his hands down her spine and across her back as he questioned her. "Did you have anything planned for this weekend? Thanks to our parents I know tomorrow is already booked but there's still all of today."

Still feeling incredibly lazy Jane barely raises her head from its resting place on his body. "Stay in bed and do the nasty? I honestly hadn't planned anything ahead of time because I didn't even know how our little chat was going to turn out."

"And now that we've had that chat were you satisfied with the outcome?"

She let her head drop back against his shoulder and she smiled into his neck. "Yeah, I think I always knew you'd be my downfall, ever since the beginning."

"The beginning of us together as an official couple, or the beginning of us in general? Because I seem to recall a few run ins during our lurid youth that could have been construed as good tip offs."

Jane furrowed her brow and made a face "Which ones are you thinking of? Other than the poison ivy incident I mean, even I'll admit that was pretty obvious."

"Did I ever tell you that you were the first girl I ever kissed?"

"I was? I don't remember…oh wait, you're talking about that time after the middle school dance aren't you? When you found me after Ricky Baker was a complete asshole to me and made me cry?"

"Yeah that would be the one. He was under the misconception that I was going to congratulate him for it so he found me afterwards to brag about it and made the mistake of asking me to help find you so we could taunt you after you ran off. Instead of that, I roughed him up a bit and tracked you down myself."

She thought back to the night in question, she'd been miserable and wandered into the park across the street because she hadn't wanted to go home in tears. Despite the dress and inconvenient shoes she'd been wearing, she ended up climbing up and settling on the lowest set of branches in her favorite tree. She'd kicked her uncomfortable shoes off and let them drop to the ground by the trunk of the tree so she could dangle her feet over the edge and try to fight back the building tears. When he'd shown up out of the blue and hadn't mocked her about the incident like she thought he would she hadn't really had much to say to him at the time. She recalled most of that brief conversation, though she'd spent years suppressing the events immediately prior to it. He'd stood just below her on the ground looking up at her while she surveyed the park from her perch.

"_I'm sorry Ricky is such a jerk." He said quietly, obviously addressing her but he'd been staring at her discarded shoes. _

_Her voice was thick with emotion and unshed tears "What do you care anyway? He's your friend isn't he? I thought you would have given him a slap on the back for a job well done."_

_He chanced a quick glance up at her, she had looked down to regard him, wiping the tear tracks from her cheeks "Doesn't change the fact that he was an asshole when he didn't need to be." _

"_That's grand coming from the boy who practically makes being a jerk to me a game. Why don't you go home and look up the word hypocrite, you might learn something." _

"_Maybe I will, as long as you come down here so I can make sure you get home too." _

_Their eyes met for a brief moment, one set rigidly defiant and the other silently pleading. "Don't make me come up there and get you Janie, you know I'll do it." _

"_That's not much of a threat Joey, and how many times have I told you not to call me that? My name isn't Janie, for the likes of you it's Rizzoli." _

"_Fine Rizzoli, get your ass down here so we can go home. It's getting cold and I don't wanna be walking home too late with all the weirdoes." He looked around as if to check that just voicing the thought wouldn't bring them out en mass to harass them. _

"_Nobody's stopping you Grant, go home and leave me alone."_

_Joe huffed and made up his mind. He was up the tree and sliding over on the same branch next to her within minutes. "Stop being stubborn and come on." He grabbed her wrist and tried to pull her back towards the trunk with him so they could get down. _

_In an effort to pull out of his grip she lost her balance and nearly toppled over backwards off the limb. She was only stopped from falling off completely by Joe overcompensating on his next tug to her wrist that instead made her tumble sideways into his arms and he fell back against the trunk of the tree. _

"_Now that you're done trying to kill me will you consider getting out of the tree before be both fall out and break something?" _

_In her flustered state Jane absently nodded her head and let him help her down from the tree. He gathered her shoes up for her and waited for her to get them back on before he started walking the few blocks back towards their houses. A half a block into their trek he'd taken off his jacket and wordlessly passed it to her when he saw her shiver._

_They didn't talk while they walked, she didn't seem all that bothered with the silence and he wasn't sure he'd come up with the right words anyway. When they made it back to Jane's house he completely surprised her by stopping her in front of her house and kissing her very briefly before he turned tail and nearly ran down the street back to his own house. _

"I remember that night. Though I think I tired to block it out because it was traumatic, not the kissing part, but the other part."

"Yeah it wasn't exactly how I had imagined it was going to happen, but you just looked so despondent and I wanted to make you feel better. You never called me out on it so I always thought either it actually did help or you pretended it didn't happen at all."

"Honestly, at the time it confused me more than anything but I think it did help. It gave me something to think about other than Ricky anyway. Is that why he wouldn't talk to me after that?"

Joe chuckled a bit in response "Yeah Ricky was under strict orders to stay away from you; he knew he'd end up getting an ass whippin' from me if he messed with you again. I was the only one allowed to pester you whenever I wanted and that became abundantly clear to everyone else after that."

"Come to think of it, I never did have many problems from the usual riff raff around school after that, was that your doing too?"

He dropped a kiss into her hair and smiled "I may have exchanged words with a few of the guys. Just because I was making your life difficult didn't mean it gave them free reign for them to do it too...unless of course I recruited them for something specific, then I let it slide."

"Oh my hero." Jane rolled her eyes "I guess I should be grateful I only had to deal with you then, you were enough to drive anyone up the wall."

"Times change baby, and so do people. We were just kids, I didn't know what love was and even if I did I doubt I would have told you anyway, you never would have gone along with it."

"That's probably true, I probably would have laughed in your face and walked away or called you crazy and still ignored you." Jane admitted.

"Now aren't you glad we're a little more grown up? We get all the benefits of being together and none of that angsty crap. Which reminds me, have I told you today that I love you?"

"Nope, but it's still early, there's plenty of hours left in the day." Jane answered happily.

"Well in that case, I love you. Let's go make some breakfast, I have plans for you today."

That piqued Jane's interest immediately "Oh really? Do they involve getting out of this bed? Because I'm really comfortable right now and I don't think I want to move."

"They involve you in a little bikini and me getting to rub sunscreen all over you before I throw you in the water. There might also be some fishing involved if we have the right equipment."

"Hmm the beach huh? Don't they have those down around D.C.?"

"Yeah, but none of those beaches have you on them, therefore I have no interest in going there. Come on, I checked the weather yesterday and it said today was supposed to be sunny and hot, what better way to spend a lazy Saturday then lounging on the beach and fishing off the pier?"

Jane picked her head up from his shoulder again and eyed him "You just wanna see me trouncing around in a bikini don't you?"

Joe shot her a sly grin "Oh the thought had crossed my mind several hundred times, I have fond memories of you in swimwear over the years. Do you still have that black and pink one? I think it was my favorite."

Jane slapped his chest in feigned outrage "No, I haven't had that one since high school you perv. What makes you think I even still own a bikini? It's not like I have much free time to be going to the beach all the time you know."

"A guy can hope can't he? I'd be willing to go out shopping with you to get one if you don't have one though. It would totally be worth braving the crowds on a weekend."

"Ugh, I hate going shopping. Let me dig through my stuff and see what I can find. As much as I'm sure you'd enjoy playin dress up with me again I'd rather not."

He laughed as he untangled himself from her and rolled out of bed. "Come on lazy bones, go on your treasure hunt through your stuff and I'll go see what I can come up with for breakfast." He dropped a final kiss on her lips before retreating out of the room.

Nearly twenty minutes later Jane wandered out of her room wearing a pair of black board shorts and a red bikini top. She had a white t-shirt hanging over her shoulder but she hadn't felt the need to put it on yet. Joe looked up from flipping a pancake and smiled widely at her.

"Looks like you found something." He said as he passed her a plate with a few chocolate chip pancakes on it.

She accepted the plate and settled down on a stool to eat while Joe finished up at the stove. "Yep, you got lucky. I haven't worn it in probably a year or two but it still covers all the important stuff."

"You won't hear me complainin' babe."

They ate their breakfast while discussing the agenda for the day. Pleasure Bay was a familiar spot for them both, they'd spent plenty of time over the years in the familiar waters and goofing off on the sandy beach. It had been a favorite hang out spot during the hot summer months when there wasn't any other easy escape from the oppressive heat.

After the dishes had been stowed in the dishwasher and Joe Friday had been fed and given fresh water Joe changed into the new trunks he'd bought yesterday specifically for this purpose while Jane dug through every storage space she could think of to find the fishing pole she thought was around somewhere. When she couldn't find it she realized it was still in her parent's garage.

When she called the house to confirm that fact, she had been pleasantly surprised that her father picked up the phone instead of her mother and managed to locate them in the mess that was their garage. She let him know they'd swing by in a little while to pick up the poles and tackle box on their way.

She gathered up a few towels and grabbed a book she'd started a few weeks ago and never had time to finish and stuffed them in a bag. A bottle of sunscreen followed the book as well as a hat and her wallet, phone and badge. She very rarely went out without it, just in case of emergencies. When Joe reemerged he added another book to the bag and his own personal belongings.

Jane pulled out a small cooler from somewhere Joe hadn't noticed and filled it with a few ice packs to keep some drinks cold. She grabbed a bag of chips for an afternoon snack but they decided to stop somewhere for lunch so they wouldn't have to bring anymore with them. She collected the car keys and they were out the door. She'd pulled on her t-shirt and shades before they left so once they threw everything in the back seat they were ready to go. They made a quick stop to pick up the fishing gear and throw it in the trunk then were off again after exchanging a few brief words with her father and headed for a relaxing day at the beach.

Once they got there, Jane put Joe in charge of scouting out a decent spot on the sand not surrounded by too many small obnoxious children. While Jane laid out their towels Joe made a point to grab the bottle of sun block from their pile of stuff so she would have to let him help her with the application process.

"Are you gonna share that with me or am I gonna end up lookin' like a lobster?" Jane asked watching Joe as he started rubbing in lotion onto his arms and chest.

"And have to listen to you whine for the next two days because you're too burned to move? I don't think so; get your pale ass over here so I can lather you up properly." Joe waved her closer and squirted some lotion into his palm, smiling happily "This is one of my favorite parts of going to the beach."

Jane quirked an eyebrow at his unusual remark "Putting on sun block?"

"Rubbing sun block in for very attractive, scantily clad women. You have no idea how hot it is to be able to touch you like this in public. I've wanted to do this for years." He took a step to close the distance between the two of their bodies "Now turn around and let me live the dream."

She was in a good enough mood not to feel the need to shatter his playful demeanor so she readily complied, presenting her exposed back for him while she stole some lotion to rub into her arms.

He took his time working the cool lotion into her skin with steady strokes but she wasn't in any mood to complain about having his hands all over her, the novelty of the action hadn't worn of yet and still brought pleasant tingles down her spine.

Despite his best attempts, Jane wouldn't let him do the same for her chest or legs with the warning words of "There are kids around, don't push it Joey" but she did relent on her stomach.

Once she was adequately protected from the sun she twirled her finger in the air at him instructing Joe to turn around so she could return the favor. It didn't take her nearly as long to cover his back but she did thoroughly enjoy the experience none the less.

Joe gave her enough time to finish her task before he lured her down to the water with him and promptly picked her up and threw her in.

They spent the remainder of their morning and into the afternoon like that, splashing each other and trying to see who could dunk who the most. A few times one or both of them would retreat back to land for a quick reprieve or to stretch out on the sand and bask in the warmth of the afternoon but something about being at the beach made them revert back to simpler times, long before he spent most of his time several states away and she wasn't an overworked homicide detective.

Jane hadn't enjoyed a day off so much in years; it felt like she was a kid again playing with her little brothers during summer family outings. Though admittedly she had a greater appreciation for her current company then she had her siblings. They hadn't been quite as entertaining to tackle into the water, or as pleasurable to stare at all glistening wet in the sun on the shore line. That was an image that would surely stick with her long after the day was over.

Sometime in the late afternoon they worked up enough of an appetite that the shared bag of chips between the two of them was just not enough to satisfy their stomachs so they packed up their stuff and headed out to find food and buy some bait so they could do some fishing.

Soon after they'd fed themselves then found a good spot to set up their gear on the pier, Joe got a call on his phone so he balanced his pole against the guard rail and took a few steps back to answer. "Grant"

"Hey Joe, it's Mal Granger. How's your weekend going?" The FBI agent greeted.

He flicked his eyes over to the woman currently casting her line into the waters and smiled "I've got nothing to complain about. So what's up? I hope you guys don't need my help for anything."

"No, a few of us were gonna go get some beers later tonight and were wondering if you wanted to join us? It's been awhile since last time and Tony and Josh are already on board. I haven't gotten a hold of Pat yet but I'm sure he'll be happy to tag along."

"As much as I'd love to, I'm not currently in the area so you're gonna have to do without me this time. Thanks for the offer though, it's appreciated."

"Well how far away are you? We weren't planning on going out until later anyway, you can stop by a little late if you want, we'll probably be there awhile."

Joe laughed at the thought "Sorry, but when I said not in the area, I meant not even in the same state. I'm in Boston until tomorrow night and nothing short of a breach of national security would be a good enough excuse to bring me back before then." Joe watched enthralled as Jane set down her pole for a minute and peeled off the t-shirt she'd donned earlier when they went out to get food and tossed it over the metal railing to hang in the slight breeze coming off the water. It was undeniably hot and it if that was her preferred way of keeping cool he was certainly not going to protest.

"Business or pleasure?" Mal questioned him "Because that's quite a far way to go just for the weekend."

"Oh definitely pleasure. My girl and I are out fishing in the harbor right now and if you could only see what I'm seeing there wouldn't be a question in your mind why I come up here for the weekends."

"Oh that's right, there was some mention of a lady friend in Boston last time wasn't there? Well I hope she's worth it man, you're a lot more committed than I'd ever be."

He turned back to watch Jane fighting to reel in her line, she'd either caught something or gotten her hook snagged.

"You have no idea, when I get her to come to D.C. with me I'll bring her out to meet you guys." Joe replied absently.

Sensing that he'd mostly lost Joe's attention to a more interesting subject he gave up and told Joe to enjoy the rest of his weekend and they would have to work out a more convenient time to catch up later. They exchanged good byes then Joe clipped his phone back on his hip and joined Jane at the end of the pier to grab his own pole.

By the time they called it a day a few hours later she'd out fished him. He had caught a few mackerel and one decent sized bluefish but she'd somehow managed to pull in an American shad, two striped bass and a flounder. They hadn't kept what they caught even though they'd been of regulation size since they were doing it more for the sport than as a food source but they still had fun.

Jane took full advantage of the opportunity to tease Joe about his bad luck all the way home and well after they arrived back. The only truly successful way Joe had managed to cease her incessant ragging was to kiss her into silence and then promise to take her out for dinner.

Staying true to the theme of the day, they found themselves a local seafood place so they could still enjoy the regional fish but let someone else clean up and butcher the little rascals for them.

During dessert Joe's phone beeped alerting him that he'd received a text message. He opened the message and chuckled, it was from Tony. _**You should be here, I hope you have a good excuse for skipping out on us. You're being awfully anti-social…**_

Obviously Mal or Patrick hadn't felt like sharing why he'd declined the invitation, he knew they were both aware of his whereabouts. He'd thought not being at work yesterday would have been a good tip off that he wasn't around. Instead of explaining yet again his reason for not being there with them he clicked through the pictures on his phone to one he'd taken that afternoon of Jane in her shorts and bikini top, leaning back with her arms behind her supporting herself against the guard rail around the fishing pier smiling brightly at him. It was pretty tame as far as he was concerned; he had a few more provocative shots he'd managed to snap earlier in the day when they'd been in and out of the water but he was certainly not going to share those with anyone, let alone a guy like Tony.

He attached the picture to a message with the words "Better things to do" and sent it off to his meddling associate then turned his attention back to Jane and the half eaten piece of cheesecake they'd been sharing.

Back in D.C. Tony and assembled company were well into their first round and some even on to their second when he'd gotten a response back. He opened the message and stared wide eyed at the picture currently occupying his phone. "Wow."

Mal noticed his sudden change in facial expressions pretty quickly "Hey Tony, whatcha got there?"

Instead of answering, he turned his phone around to show him. Mal leaned in to get a closer look at the girl on the screen and whistled, "Who is _that? _I'd like to get to know her a little better, she's hot._"_

Josh tilted the phone to the side so he could get a look too "Oh man, I'd totally hit that."

"You're telling me" Eddie joined in after getting a glance at the picture "I'd be all over that in a second."

Patrick, who was sitting right next to him took one look at the picture and laughed. "That would be the lovely Jane Rizzoli. I suggest you watch what you say about her because _she_ is the reason why our buddy Joe isn't here right now."

"Oh man, now I know what he meant when I talked to him earlier today. Lucky bastard, I don't blame him for flying all the way back to Boston for a girl like that." Mal said letting his eyes roam over the body on the little screen.

"That's seriously what she looks like?" Tony asked incredulously "Someone that hot should not have the kind of temper she hit me with last month."

Having been witness to Tony's humiliation last time that brought a hardy round of laughter to everyone except Eddie. "Did I miss something?"

"Tony had a run in with Jane last month that didn't go so smoothly for the famous ladies man." Josh filled in for Eddie benefit.

"She practically had him cowering in the corner actually, it was priceless." Mal confirmed "I still hold by who ever claimed that a woman who can do that is definitely worth meeting."

Not wanting to give too much away Patrick simply added "Just give them some time boys, she'll be around soon enough, then you'll really have to run for the hills Tony."

"Just wait until she meets me in person, then I bet she'll be singing a different tune." Tony's overconfidence in his charm made Patrick laugh again.

"Best of luck with that Tony, I just hope I'm there to see that meeting. I'll be sure to bring you an ice pack for your bruised ego...and your black eye"

Adequately fed for the night Jane and Joe retreated back to the safety and comfort of her apartment.

Jane collapsed on the couch, feet out on the coffee table in front of her with a contented sigh "So I have to admit today was fun."

Joe came over and squeezed into the small space she'd left between herself and the arm of the sofa "See I told you it would be good. One of these days you're gonna have to start believing me when I tell you I have good ideas."

"Sometimes I guess" she admitted with an impish smile "But sometimes I still question your judgment, it hasn't always been that great in the past."

He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him, her head resting easily on his shoulder. "How so?"

"I have two words for you Joey, Emma Murphy."

Just hearing that name again made him shudder. "Ok so maybe not everything I've ever done has been brilliant…"

"More like a step above brain dead" Jane cut it in.

"…but you have to admit I've improved somewhat over the years, present company possibly my best evidence of said fact."

"Just because you finally gained some class doesn't mean you suddenly have perfect judgment. Some people would argue being in a long distance relationship with me is a decidedly bad judgment call."

"And all I'd have to say to those people is screw you, because I don't care how far away we are four days a week, I love you and it's gonna take more than distance to keep me away from you. I don't care if everyone I ever meet tells me I'm crazy; my sanity is a small price to pay if I get to be crazy with you."

Jane lifted her head from his shoulder and met his eyes, the fire burning in them was as much from the conviction of his words as it was the love he felt for her. The flare of emotion it evoked within her was unexpected but not entirely unfamiliar.

She surprised him by turning herself around and throwing one leg over his legs so she was straddling his lap, arms loosely looped around his neck. "You really are crazy Joey, but I think that's one of the reasons why we work so well together sometimes."

Joe's hands automatically came up to her hips, steadying her atop of him as his thumbs traced little circles on her flesh under the hem of her shirt. "Only sometimes? I'll have to see if I can do better than that." He slid one hand up her back to her neck and gently pulled her towards him for a brief meeting of their lips.

"I don't think I'll ever get tired of doing that." She dipped her head to kiss him again, a little longer this time and with a little more feeling.

She pulled back panting moments later when the lack of oxygen became too much to ignore. "I'm never gonna forgive you for this Joey." She said from out of the blue.

His eyes flickered in concern and confusion for a second, unsure of what exactly he had done that he would need forgiveness for. "What…?"

Before he could form a proper question she kissed him again and the slide of her tongue against his bottom lip had his mind switching tracks completely away from any previous thoughts.

She lowered her head just even with his ear and whispered "You're turning me into a girl Joey, a hand holding" she bit his earlobe "sofa snuggling" she left a trail of kisses down his throat "feeling sharing" she reversed course back up to his mouth "stupidly in love, girl" She met his eyes as she wiggled her hips and ground down against his lap. "and it's all your fault."

Though it was particularly hard to stay focused on her words while she was doing such sinfully enjoyable things to his body he caught her admission. The only response his passion addled brain came up with was "I'm willing to take full responsibility for that."

"Oh you better, because I always promised myself this wouldn't happen. I don't do girly. You broke me so now you're stuck with me."

"Believe me baby" his hands crept higher under her shirt "I'm not letting you go for a very long time."

"You promise?"

He pulled her in for another kiss and shifted her around a bit so he could get up off the couch without dropping her. "I swear it."

He fumbled his way across the room and down the hall with her in his arms then kicked the bedroom door closed behind them.

* * *

In a surprising turn of events Jane actually woke up before her bedmate on Sunday morning. Much like Joe had the previous morning, instead of waking him up right away she chose to take a few minutes of quiet reveling in the warmth and reassurance his body offered pressed up against hers. Using his shoulder as a pillow and settling a leg over his, she laid a hand on his chest right over his heart and took comfort in the rhythmic beat and slight rising and falling of his chest.

His presence beside her in bed was as much a curse as it was a blessing. She had never slept as peacefully as she did when he was there with her, something about the fact that he was always holding or touching her in some fashion while they slept did wonders for helping her fall (and stay) asleep as well as kept the nightmares she was sometimes prone to at bay, but it made the following nights that much harder to get through without the extra security of his presence.

She was entirely capable of sleeping without him, she'd been managing it for many years now, but it was surprisingly easy to let her defenses down and let Joe take care of her like he'd asked her to. The nightmares still came on occasion but she'd been dealing with those for a long time now as well, she had that down to a science. The empty space next to her and the lack of extra body heat when he was gone was not nearly as pleasant to wake up to, but after being single for so long she was used to waking up alone in bed, although it was starting to bother her a little bit more lately now that she was getting accustomed to having him there. Still, the nights they spent together were always better than the nights they were apart.

If she were honest with herself she'd admit that she would prefer to wake up with him every morning, not just to keep any stray nightmares locked in her head, but to have more time with him away from the rest of the world.

It was a strange feeling for her to realize that possibly for the first time since she'd made detective, there was something else seriously vying for her attention other than her job. She was even more surprised to realize that she was growing more and more inclined to indulge him whenever possible. She still loved her job and didn't even entertain the thought of giving it up but she was steadily getting accustomed to the idea that Joe was just as important, or maybe even just a bit more so to her than her job.

Such a thing had never happened to her before, her job had always been her number one priority followed closely by her family. Somehow Joe had managed what few others had and worked his way up in her affections; he was currently dangerously close to the top of the list. She wasn't sure exactly what that meant to her immediate future but she knew it did mean something significant was going on. Love was such a damn confusing concept, which was one of the reasons why she'd shied away from it for so long.

Jane decided she needed to pull away from the deep meaningful thoughts so early in the morning and instead turned her attentions to the man still snoozing beside her.

He looked younger when he was asleep, she could see the teenager that had tossed water balloons at her during warm summer days and the man that had helped her work on firing her weapon properly in the academy (they were so conveniently both left handed, it was a sensible partnership) in his face. She should have known that one day she'd end up curled around him in bed, it was the only thing their previous decades long relationship had never entirely covered. There had been some very close calls, but them finally ending up together really had been inevitable.

The thought brought a wicked smile to her face. Feeling just a little bit more feisty than usual, she decided she'd take advantage of his currently prone form. She knew he'd be leaving again tonight so she figured she had to get in all the time she could with him now while he was still here. Four days without him was never fun.

Joe woke up to the sensation of lips gently brushing against his stomach. His lips twitched as he fought the urge to keep them closed, much like she had the morning before, but was having trouble keeping up the façade convincingly. If she was offering, who was he to turn down such a delicious wake up call? He felt her lips curve against his skin and knew she was smiling. He'd been found out but that didn't stop her from trailing her lips from his bellybutton up his chest to his neck. He lifted a lazy hand to run his fingers through her sleep rumbled hair.

"I like your alarm system, so much better than the incessant beeping of my other alarm clock." He told her sleepily, cracking an eye open when she moved up and over him, shadowing his body as she held herself over him.

"There's more if you feel up to it…" She felt the familiar nudging against her belly and grinned at him "Never a problem with you Joey is it?"

"Not for you baby, never for you."

One hot open mouthed kiss followed another and yet another until they soon found themselves lost in a world where time didn't exist and the center of everything was just to two of them and the tantalizing slide of skin against skin.

They both knew that their parents expected them to be at his house by one, but that still left plenty of opportunity to spend the rest of the morning naked and wrapped up in each other. Which they were both more than happy to submit to, only having three days a week together was not exactly conducive to a normal sex life, so they took what they could get when they could get it. It certainly helped that the physical part of their relationship was still relatively new and decadently exciting for both of them. They seemed intent on trying to make up for all the lost time they could have had if they'd just gave in sooner, but they still couldn't seem to get enough of each other now that they were actually together. Not that either were complaining, it worked quite well for both of them.

When the time came to get out of bed and get ready to go, neither were very keen on the idea. Jane had just rolled out of bed when she heard her cell phone go off. If she were lucky that would be Korsak or Frost calling her in for a case so she could skip the little family get together entirely.

"Rizzoli"

"Hey Jane, are you on your way over to this get together thing yet?" Her little brother asked over the line.

She looked down at her and Joe's unclothed bodies and smiled "Not quite, but we're gettin there. I just have to jump in the shower and we'll be on our way. Why, what's up?"

"Um I was kinda hopin' I could ride over with you guys, Ma and Pops went over early and I've never actually been there before so I'm not quite sure where I'm going…"

"It's just down the street from the house, it's kinda hard to miss. I'm sure you'd be fine without us Frankie, but if you insist, meet me at my place in like 15 minutes and we can head over together. It'll give you plenty of time to brace yourself for the oppressive amount of joy and misguided good intention that's going to be flying around."

"At least it's not going to be directed at me, I can deflect it all to the happy couple." Frankie teased knowing how much Jane hating being fussed over, especially by her mother.

Joe overheard her mention of a shower and took it upon himself to go get the water running so they could jump in and be ready in time for her brother's arrival.

"Just wait until it's your turn Frankie, then we'll see whose laughing." She warned.

Her remark brought on a slight sense of dread but he masked it well with a weak laugh "Until that day comes I'm just going to be glad that's it's you and not me in the limelight. I'll be there in 15 minutes."

"Ok, I'll see ya then."

She hung up the phone and trudged to the bathroom to jump in with Joe.

13 minutes later, freshly showered and dressed, they answered the door to Frankie's knock. He looked a little nervous but he greeted them warmly enough to not make it overly obvious. They all made their way out to Jane's car and Jane passed the keys over to Joe. It wasn't that she didn't know where she was going, it was just down the street from her own childhood house but it was more fun to make him drive, particularly if it meant that he'd drive on the way home and she wouldn't have to worry about how many beers she drank to get her through the afternoon.

They made it over to his house without incident and pulled up next to the curb out front. Nikki's car was parked in the driveway behind his parents' cars so he knew that she and Jack had already made an appearance. It seemed they were the last to arrive which was kind of ironic since the whole ordeal was supposed to be in honor of them.

The three of them shuffled out of the car and up the walkway to the door. Joe opened it and ushered the siblings in while he held the door. Guessing from the ruckus coming from the house he surmised that an unidentifiable number of females were in the kitchen and their fathers were already watching the pre-game in the living room. By unvoiced agreement they chose to forgo the kitchen and head to safer territory. When they walked in the room both men looked up to greet their children.

"Hi Daddy"

"Hi honey, I'm glad you could make it." Frank Sr. accepted a kiss on the cheek from his daughter and returned it before regarding the man next to her.

"Hello Joe, it's nice to see you again."

"Likewise Sir." Joe said extending his hand for a friendly shake.

"Hey Frankie, I thought you got lost or something." He greeted his youngest child.

"Sorry Pops, I forgot which house it was."

Frank Sr. turned to the other man beside him on the sofa "Russell this is my youngest Frankie, Frankie, Russell Grant."

He took the hand the older man extended and shook it "Nice to meet you Sir."

Russell then regarded the couple he'd been hearing so much about to greet them properly. "Joey my boy, good to see you, I'm glad you could make it up for the occasion. "

"It wasn't a problem Pops, I was actually already here, it was just convenient you wanted to do this on a weekend." Joe informed his dad.

"Oh really, why's that? What else would warrant a trip up from Washington then if not for this?"

Joe turned his head to smile at Jane and linked their fingers together "Her. I arranged my schedule so I can fly home on Thursday nights."

Russell turned his attention to the woman in question "Ah the ever charming Jane Rizzoli." He recognized her in an instant "Hello Jane, I'm sorry I missed you last time you were here, Sharon didn't tell me you would be coming over. It's great to see you again; you've certainly grown since last I saw you." He motioned her closer to give her a hug.

"It's great to see again too Sir, it has been awhile hasn't it? I'm sorry about last time but nobody knew I was coming along. They just knew he was bringing someone with him."

"Ah, well in that case all must be forgiven then right?" He patted the empty spot on the couch next to him for her to sit down in, but that didn't leave much room for Joe. "How have you been? What have you been doing with your life…and most importantly how did my son ever talk you into this relationship of yours? I was pretty sure you two were like oil and water when you were kids and here you are all grown up and dating?"

"I bet you never thought you'd see this day would you?" Jane laughed before telling a shortened version of the last decade or so.

Sensing that he wasn't exactly needed at the moment Joe snuck off to the kitchen to grab some beers from the fridge, hoping that he could be stealthy enough not to be seen by either mother currently occupying the room.

He had no such luck though, as soon as he stepped foot on the tiled floor his mother picked up her head and smiled at him. "Joey dear, I'm so glad you could make it! We didn't know if you would be able to find a flight in time. I didn't hear you come in, when did you get here?"

"We just got here, Ma." Still holding a slight grudge over what she's said last time they had talked he didn't go over to her and kiss her cheek as was customary, but he didn't ignore her.

Maggie glanced at her brother expecting to see two people "Hey Joey, where's Jane?"

"She's talking with Pops in the living room, I just came in to grab us some drinks." He answered giving his little sister a hug.

"Where's Nikki? I saw her car but I don't see her."

Maggie pointed out the door and Joe glanced outside to see her playing with Toby in the backyard while Jack stood at the grill.

"Ah so the fuzz ball came too? How delightful. What's Jack doing all the grilling for? He lose the coin toss?"

"I told him to call tails but he never listens to me" Maggie shook her head regretfully "he coulda been sitting inside with you guys watching the pre-game stuff and we would have had Pops manning the grill but he just had to ignore me. I say let him learn from his mistakes, maybe next time he'll listen to me when I tell him something."

"I wouldn't hold your breath honey" Sharon informed her youngest daughter "he's just as stubborn as your sister is so whatever you tell him to do he's always going to be inclined to do the exact opposite."

"Heh, men. You ever gonna learn to listen to women?" The question was posed to Joe seeing as he was the only male in the room but was obviously referencing the man currently outside grilling.

Surprised by the level of annoyance behind the accusation Joe raised both his hands as if to defend himself "Hey leave me out of this, I've learned my lesson about listening to the fairer sex."

Maggie gave him a dubious look "Since when? You've never listened to me either."

"That's because you're my little sister, not because you're female. It's a long standing tradition to never listen to younger siblings, sorry kiddo." Joe informed her chuckling "If you doubt my honesty go ask Jane, she'll back me up on both points."

Angela interrupted their exchange "I'm afraid he's right Maggie, Jane never listened to either of her brothers, or me most of the time. She had her own set of standards and morals that she lived by, she never let anyone tell her what to do or boss her around."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Maggie murmured "Did she ever let anything stop her?"

"Aside from physical injury? Not really, and even then that didn't keep her down for long. She sprained her ankle one summer playing football with the boys at camp and still somehow made it through field hockey pre-season without complaint."

"What she didn't tell you was it was a miracle she walked away from that with just a sprain" Joe said, recalling the past incident "The other kid broke his leg. He kinda deserved it though so nobody felt bad for him."

"Don't even get me started on how irresponsible she was, I lost count of the number of times her and her brothers have given each other bloody noses or black eyes, I always warned her not to play rough with the boys but she never listened to me." Angela huffed "Knowing Jane there were probably even more incidents she just hid and didn't tell me about so she wouldn't get yelled at again."

Joe nodded his head smiling fondly "That sounds like the Jane I know, never a dull moment with her."

"I'm sure you didn't have the best influence on her either dear brother" Maggie accused her older sibling "I bet you never held back with her either."

"That's beside the point; it wouldn't have changed her attitude anyway. I may not have held back but I never left marks either, Pops woulda beat me if he ever heard I'd somehow injured a girl, doubly so since she was one of Nikki's friends."

"That never seemed to stop you from doing other things to her." Maggie pointed out "at least not from what I've heard from Nikki anyway."

That caught both mothers' attentions, Sharon more so than Angela knew of some of their children's stunts but she never got specific details. It was an interesting bit of news to Angela to hear as well, Jane did a fairly good job of deflecting certain things from her mother even in her childhood, it was near impossible to get a straight answer from her if she didn't feel it was necessary and Jane had never found the topic of Joe Grant very necessary over the years.

Angela figured if she wasn't going to get information from her own child it might be easier gleaning it from Joe "Just how long have you two been _doing things_ to each other?"

Joe's ears tinged pink at the loaded question. Depending on how he chose to interpret her words his answer would alter dramatically. He pushed the sudden flashes of the most recent thing he'd done to her just before they'd showed up aside in his head and went instead for the parental friendly response "We'd been in the same school since we were in kindergarten, I think that's where it all started. That's just what kids do at that age though, it's not like it's that much of a surprise."

Angela quirked a smile as she pieced a few things together in her head "Your name never came up in conversation until high school though, and even then Jane was weary of sharing any information with me about boys she spent time with. You were the one who was always bothering her but she wouldn't tell me any more about wasn't it?"

"Possibly." Joe admitted slowly "Though I wouldn't say we exactly spent a lot of time together, so she didn't really have reason to be talking about me."

"Oh don't start with that nonsense Joey, I know some of the stunts you two pulled on each other. There was plenty to talk about." Sharon scolded her son

"I have no idea what you're talking about Ma" he tried deflecting the accusation "we hardly ever even saw each other. We certainly didn't go out looking for one another."

Maggie, knowing the real story behind their get together from the other night laughed at the blatant lie he'd just told. "You are such a liar!"

"A bad one too." His mother pointed out "Even I don't believe that, I know how you were with your sisters and it wouldn't surprise me if you extended that to Jane."

"There's no easy way out of this is there?" Joe wondered out loud addressing the room in general instead of any one of them specifically.

Maggie shook her head and grinned at his discomfort "Not a chance, we've got you pegged Joey."

"This is not what I came in here for" He told the three women "so I'm going to grab some drinks and go back in there where it's safe. When the grill master and company have a minute ask them to come inside would ya? Frankie doesn't know everyone and it would be easier just to do one big introduction and get it over with."

"Don't think you're slipping away so easy there" Maggie informed her sibling "I'll go get 'em but don't think you're out of the woods yet, we've still got all afternoon."

He retreated out of the kitchen with two beers in hand cringing at the implications of his sister's warning. They all met in the living room, just minutes away from the start of the afternoon Red Sox game.

Jane and his father were still animatedly talking to each other but he managed to slip in next to her and hand her a beer which she paused the conversation long enough to flash him a warm smile for. He wrapped his other arm around her shoulders and let her lean into his side, happy to be free of any more questions for the time being.

When everyone was gathered in the same room introductions were made and hands were shaken (including Toby). Jack quickly excused himself back outside in fear of burning anything after the exchange of names and hand shakes but Nikki stayed to hang out with the newly arrived couple.

The first pitch of the game distracted them from any serious conversation and from that point on kept all but the two mothers occupied to Joe's great relief. They mostly ignored the game in favor of gossiping amongst themselves about their children and things around town, they'd never been particularly enthralled by the monotonous drone of it all when it wasn't someone they knew personally playing. They also knew that they wouldn't get any new information from the pair if they tried interrupting them during the game, so they chose to put a temporary hold on the interrogation he'd slipped away from.

Not surprisingly the Grants and Rizzolis all got along well, there were never any awkward silences and nobody ever got left out of the idle chit chat that was exchanged between the group. Without Angela and Sharon constantly pestering them they could enjoy the game in peace. Having no spot on the couch thanks to Frankie and her sister, Maggie settled down on the floor by Joe and Jane's legs at one of the couch with Toby's massive head in her lap. When Jack came back from his grilling duties, he uprooted Nikki to steal her spot and settled her back on his lap so they could all still fit.

It turned out that Jane got her tendency to yell at the players on the TV from her father, which seemed rather fitting to Joe since his own dad was ardently complaining right along with them both. During commercial breaks they slipped into the kitchen to grab food and bring plates back into the other room to prevent missing any of the action of the game. However, when they returned to their seats Maggie shamelessly claimed refuge on the couch in what had been Jane's spot to save herself the trouble of keeping Toby away from her food.

Jane lifted an eyebrow at Maggie's new seat and the smile she got in return from the girl in question. She was used to dealing with annoying younger siblings so instead of upending her she mumbled "When in Rome…" and perched herself sideways in Joe's lap so she had somewhere to sit also, it wasn't worth fighting over. They were so nonchalant about it that it really didn't seem out of place at all.

Frank Sr. watched his daughter interact with Joe with a critical eye. He liked the man well enough but he had to make sure that he was treating Jane properly. She was his only little girl so it was his responsibility to make sure she was with a decent man. If the man before him was anything like the boy he'd met briefly, he couldn't be sure. He'd heard snippets of things over the years from various conversations and exchanges with his daughter that had mentioned Joe's name in passing. He'd even had the chance to meet him face to face once or twice. Russell always had good things to say about his son and he was inclined to believe him but he was a firm believer that actions spoke louder than words.

Joe was always very respectful of her though; he kept one arm wrapped around her waist to hold her steady and his hands in clear view of everyone. They somehow even managed to eat without completely spilling on each other. They were prone to arguing, but from what he understood of their past together they had always been that way. What was important was that their words held more sarcasm then malicious intent. Perhaps the most significant factor though, was the way they were both smiling and laughing at each other. If he could make his baby girl smile like that all the time he'd have no problems if Joe stuck around.

When Jane got up to grab them both another bottle of beer and didn't return right away Joe got a bad feeling she'd been cornered by their mothers. Not certain what he was walking in on he went in search for Jane, they'd made a promise to stick together so they wouldn't have to deal with anyone alone and he intended to keep that promise.

He found them standing outside just beyond the glass door in the kitchen. Jane was holding two bottles in her hands and looked stressed. Without a second thought he slid the door open and stepped outside to stand by Jane's side.

He must have caught them between question and answer because both his mother and hers were looking at Jane with expectant faces and Jane was noticeably irritated by something. He stepped up to her and took her hand.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything" he said glancing between both women "but you seem to have kidnapped my girl and our drinks so if you don't mind we've got a game to get back to inside."

Jane flashed him a relieved smile and handed him the beer intended for him. Without an extra hand to twist the top off he just held it in his hand as he stared his mother down. "Come on babe" he said as he turned to lead them both back inside "Ortiz just hit a two run homerun so we're up again."

"Wait" his mother stopped them before he could slide the door open "Since you're both here now I just want to take this opportunity to apologize for what I said last time. Especially to you Joey, I didn't mean to cast so much doubt or mistrust on either of you, I just had to be sure that you were serious about this thing between you. If you really do love each other that's fabulous but you two don't exactly have a history of affectionate behavior, so it's not the easiest thing to believe and I don't want to see either of you get hurt. You both are too stubborn for your own good sometimes, and I know change can be difficult."

Joe very deliberately turned back around to face his mother. "The past is the past Ma, I don't care how mean we were to each other or what terrible things we said, or that we didn't have 'a history of affectionate behavior', it's not what I…what we feel now. She knows I love her and I know she loves me and _that's_ what matters right now. We're not listening to anyone who tries to tell us otherwise, they are _our_ lives and we can live them how _we_ want to without any outside interference just fine. It's not gonna do anyone who tries to meddle with us any good so get any ideas you have out of your heads now and just leave it alone and let us live our lives in peace. We're not stupid kids anymore and we're choosing to make our present the way we want it to be" He glanced at Jane to catch her eye "and our future. It's not perfect yet but it's enough for now, we have time to figure the rest out."

"It that true Jane?" It was her mother this time that posed the question, hoping that Jane would give her the confirmation she was looking for.

She glanced at her mother for a quick second before meeting Joe's eyes again. "Yeah Ma it is. I don't care who believes us or not, we're staying together." A small smile escaped her lips "You can gloat all you want that you set us up or reunited us or whatever, just don't ever doubt that I love him. That's the least you can do, believe that I found what you and Daddy did. Isn't that all you've ever wanted for me anyway?"

If she'd been any more emotional she'd have been in tears but Angela didn't let that stop her. She nodded her head and stepped forward to envelope her daughter into a hug. Jane accepted it more readily then she would have suspected but didn't let it linger for too long. Then taking Joe completely by surprise, when she let go of Jane she did the same to him. He awkwardly accepted the gesture and much like Jane had, kept it brief.

Sharon stood by and watched her companion hug the couple in front of them. She wasn't quite sure she could pull off that same stunt at the moment; her son still seemed a bit peeved with her. She'd tried to apologize but it didn't seem to come out right, she feared she may have just dug her hole a little deeper. Why couldn't she have just said she was sorry and stopped talking?

Once Angela let go of Joe they both retreated back into the house without saying another word or looking back, happy to return back to the baseball game they'd been pulled from.

Upon their return to the living room they found that Nikki had taken over Joe's space in their absence. Joe eyed his sister sternly "Hey, what's with all the seat snatching around here?"

"You didn't call fives." Nikki shrugged.

"What are we 12 years old? We weren't gone that long."

"It was long enough. Besides, my butt was starting to hurt; his legs aren't nearly as comfy as the couch."

Joe's continued glare at this sister didn't seem to be deterring her one bit. "You do realize that you've essentially stolen both our seats right? I mean you're supposed to be her friend." The nod in Jane's direction indicating who he had been referring to wasn't necessary but he added it anyway for extra emphasis.

"Ah yes, I'm her friend, but I'm also your sister. Ever heard of that old saying about killing two birds with one stone?" She looked between the two of them giving them a wide mischievous smile "Hello birdies!"

Jane's first reaction was to laugh; Joe's instinctual reaction was slightly different "You wanna see a bird? Here you go" he casually flipped her off, the gesture coming so easily that it spoke to how often the siblings had exchanged it over the years.

"Oh how cute, do you keep that as a pet?"

The sinister glare was back as Joe accused his sister "You're evil you know that?"

"I wouldn't be your big sister if I wasn't, family trait I'm afraid. I think it's hard wired into the genes."

Maggie was quick to agree "She has a point, we all have a bit of an evil side."

"Yeah I'll say." Jane mumbled to herself.

Joe swung his gaze between his two siblings "So where exactly does this leave us then if you two so conveniently stole both our seats?"

In response Nikki grabbed a few cushions and throw pillows from the back of the couch and threw them on the floor at her feet. "Don't worry, Toby will keep you company."

The massive dog lifted his head up from where he had been sprawled on the floor when he heard his name but since no further command was given he lost interest and settled back down to take a nap.

He looked at the dog and the pile of pillows on the floor. "I knew there was a reason I moved out."

Maggie let out a giggle from her poached spot on the sofa. "Aw, but Joey I still love you."

"Enough to forfeit your seat? You were the original thief that started all this you little trouble maker."

"Maybe not that much, but I'll give you an extra pillow if that'll make up for it."

"Thanks so much Maggie, I'm definitely feelin' the love and respect in this room. I'm touched really."

Jane gave a tug on their still joined hands effectively closing the gap between them sufficiently enough to whisper in his ear "Don't worry Joey, I still love you too and that's all ya need right?" the kiss on his cheek that followed and the few low chuckles of laughter brought a bright smile to his face.

"Come on" she said out loud for everyone else's benefit "Screw the couch."

Together they arranged everything for him to comfortably lounge with his back against the occupied piece of furniture. Jane, finding it a perfectly acceptable substitution in place of the sofa, settled herself in between his legs, her back leaning against his chest and her head on his shoulder. He wrapped both his arms around her waist and looked up at the television to watch the game.

"See, not so bad huh?" Jane looked up at him from his shoulder

"Nah, not so bad at all." He punctuated his statement with a kiss to her temple and in return she settled her arms over his across her stomach, absentmindedly rubbing her thumbs across his skin.

Russell grinned as he watched his son with his lady. He'd suspected from early on that Joe had cared more about Jane than he had admitted. He remembered sometimes spying his only son at field hockey games long after it had been mandatory for him to go with his mother and he doubted it had much to do with his sister. It also hadn't been much of a secret around the house that one of their favorite pass times was to torment each other; if that wasn't the beginning of young love he didn't know what was.

Obviously she had been just as interested in him as he had in her though, if his memory served him right he recalled seeing her face in the stands at some of his baseball games also, and when he'd spotted her, Nikki had never been anywhere in the vicinity. He wasn't even going to mention the time he'd seen them sharing a cup of hot cocoa during a particularly chilly high school homecoming football game they'd both showed up at, they both would have denied it.

He was happy for his son though, he seemed content with Jane despite the distance between them. However if what he had told them earlier was true he suspected that he was quite committed to her if he was willing to fly back to Boston every weekend, maybe even loved her. If any couple deserved a shot of happiness it was them. Cops and government agents so often faced so much danger and very rarely got anything in return.

When the last out was called that evening, despite their best cheering efforts the Sox had lost by a run. It had been a good game though so it wasn't a total shame. They all stuck around a bit after the game had ended but Joe and Jane who didn't really want another confrontation with their mothers were getting a bit antsy to leave. It also didn't help that they both knew she would have to drive him back to the airport in just a few short hours and watch him walk away from her again. Sunday nights were quickly becoming her least favorite time of the week.

Eventually they made their escape from the Grant household, there was a big round of hugs and kisses goodbye as well as pats on the back and hand shakes.

Before they left Russell made sure to let Jane know she was welcome at his home anytime. "You should come back and see me from time to time so we can talk sports." He'd told her "None of the blasted females in his family appreciate a good sports debate, it's a shame. I don't know where I went wrong."

She agreed with a healthy laugh "Alright, you keep your eyes out for me, I'll be around."

It was extremely calming knowing that his father already knew and approved of her, she'd still been a little worried he would have forgotten who she was. In the end everyone left stuffed full of food and in the best spirits as they could considering the loss of the game.

While Joe started the car, Jane and Frankie waved at their parents as they walked by on the back to their house down the street, then they too headed out on their way back to her apartment.

Frankie took his time getting out of Jane's car and walking over to his own. Despite the loss it had been good food and mostly good company, it was always extremely entertaining to see his sister and Joe fight. The large screen TV had also been a plus. He could get used to game days with the Grants if they all turned out like that.

Before getting in he yelled over to them "Hey guys thanks for the ride" and waved.

They both returned the wave then climbed the stairs back to her apartment. They were met at the door by Joe Friday who despite not having been out all day was excited to see them. She went to grab her leash when she realized the pink leash had been replaced with a new black one. She cocked an eyebrow up at the new leash and turned to Joe "Is this your doing?"

He saw her hold up the black leash and nodded. "Yep, sorry bout that but if your little princess expects me to walk with her then I needed some more masculine equipment."

"Aw what's the matter Joey? Nobody was taking you seriously walking a little girly dog with a pink leash?"

He glared at her for a second "I don't have to take her out you know, she's not _my _dog."

Jane broke out in a fit of laughter and kissed his sour face away. "I know you don't have to. Thank you for doing it anyway though. You should have just said something and I would have picked up a different color next time I got her food."

"Well it's too late now. Are we gonna take the little mop out or what?" Despite his words he bent down to scratch behind the little dog's ears and she perked up when he said "out". They decided they had time for a leisurely walk around the park before it got dark so the three of them headed out. They returned around dusk just as the faded sunlight was disappearing over the horizon for the night.

They both knew what night fall meant, he'd be leaving again soon and there wasn't anything to stop him. She'd been bracing herself for his departure for the last hour and although she still didn't want it to happen she understood the need to go back. It would only be another four days until he would be back anyway.

He checked the flights out of Logan International and found the second latest possible one with a few open seats on it. They aimed for that one and kept a back up in mind just in case something went wrong.

The ride to the airport was quiet like it had been the time before it and his heart sank a little bit when they pulled up and he knew he'd have to leave again. She didn't question whether or not he wanted her to walk him to the security line; she had already decided she was going to. The only difference between this time and last time was the fact that he didn't have a bag with him. All the things he'd brought here with him were staying at the apartment so he had no need for one. That was a small comfort she'd latch on to once he'd kissed her good bye and disappeared past the security gates.

When the line for security was in sight they stopped walking and Joe pulled her aside again, it all seemed so very familiar. She knew the kiss was coming before he'd even pulled her in for it. She drank it in and responded in whole to it. This would be what kept her going for the next few days.

Reluctantly he broke their lip lock and rested his forehead against hers. "I love you Jane. Until next time baby, stay safe."

"I love you too Joey, until next time." She kissed his cheek and backed away from him.

This time it was Jane who turned and walked away from him, standing in a long line on his way to be 450 miles away from her.

She never thought it could be so painful to walk away from something, it wasn't something she was in the habit of doing anyway and know she just reaffirmed why she didn't do it at all when she could help it.

When she got home to her empty apartment the first thing she did was dig out the clothes he'd stashed in her closet to find some comfortable pajamas. She started with his boxers, most of them were boring patterns and colors but a few of them were more interesting, she saw one pair in particular that had to have been bought with her in mind. They were blue with a picture of Tony the Tiger on them, across the back read "They'rrrrrrrre Great!" she had to laugh as she slipped them on and pulled out a t-shirt to wear with them. Even when he wasn't around he was making her laugh. _God how she loved him_.

She tried to kill some time tidying up around her apartment while she waited for his call to let her know he got back alright. By the time he did call it was getting pretty late and she was getting tired.

"Hey baby, I'm back no problems."

"Good, you're not allowed to get hurt." She replied yawning into her hand.

"That so? Then the same goes to you. But you're tired babe, I heard that yawn. It's late, go to bed. I'll call you tomorrow." He answered in a low soothing voice. It was doing wonders for putting her to sleep despite his physical absence.

"I found your boxers" she sleepily replied.

Joe had a hunch which ones she was talking about "Aren't they grrrrrrrreat?"

Jane laughed softly into the phone "Yeah something like that. Having you here would be better though."

"I know baby, I know. How about I just talk to you until you fall asleep tonight? Maybe that'll make it easier."

"Ok, I'm gonna go lay down then, just keep talking."

So he did. For as long as she still answered him he kept talking about anything that popped into his head. He was in the middle of recounting one of their earliest cases together when the line finally went silent except for her calm rhythmic breathing. "Good night baby, sweet dreams. I love you." He whispered over the phone before hanging up for the night.

* * *

Monday morning was rainy and unpleasant in Boston. Jane trudged into work sipping from a cup of coffee, slightly damp from running through the rain and not in a particularly good mood. Rain reminded her of Joe and Joe wasn't here anymore, just another thing to add on to her list of reasons to be grumpy.

Frost and Korsak had beaten her into work that morning so they watched from their desks as Jane peeled off her coat and sunk into her chair with a huff. Usually she would have at least spared each a half hearted good morning or a wave but as she turned her monitor on and went leafing through some files they both realized she wasn't in the mood for formalities today.

Korsak, never one to miss a chance to be sarcastic, suddenly spoke up "Well hello to you too Rizzoli, my weekend was fine how was yours?"

Jane rolled her head to the side to look at him out of the corner of her eye. "Hi Korsak, it was an interesting few days ok? Can we just leave it at that and maybe lay off the snark for today? I really hate Mondays."

"How are they any different then any other work day?" Frost piped up curious of her mood, this was about as close to whining as Jane got.

She glanced at the duck sitting by her monitor for a moment before raising her eyes to meet her partner's across their desks. "They're the first day after the weekend, they just suck alright?"

Having caught her look at little George the duck, Korsak guessed the real reason why she had a sudden aversion to Mondays in particular. He was willing to bet his salary that Grant had to go back last night and she still wasn't taking it very well. It must be harder than he first suspected for her to cope with him leaving all the time. He may not be a big fan of Grant's but he was willing to over look that in favor of Jane's happiness. Keeping her in a good mood would be so much more beneficial both professionally and emotionally for everyone.

"Hey it's just another day of the week, you'll get over it. That's what you have little George there for isn't it? I'm sure he misses you when you aren't here, maybe he'll make you feel better."

She was surprised Korsak would have brought the stuffed animal up, and looked at him curiously "Yeah, I'm sure he does." She gave George a few gentle strokes on the head as though he could actually feel it.

"What's with that thing anyway? Since when do you have stuffed animals?" Frost complained, clearly feeling left out of the loop.

Jane didn't seem to think that she needed to explain the recent addition to her desk and dutifully ignored the question as if he hadn't even asked it. Frost turned to Korsak for an answer instead and was met with just as much resistance from him. "Hey don't look at me; she's the one who suddenly decided she likes ducks."

"I can't help but feel like I'm missing some crucial bit of information that you guys just aren't telling me." Frost looked between the two detectives "I don't think I like it."

Korsak raised an eyebrow at his colleague "If you were as good a detective as you always claim to be maybe you would have figured it out by now. Use those high tech computery skills or something."

"What the hell does that mean? What am I suppose to do, Google ducks?"

"Yeah why don't you give that a try? Have fun. We'll catch any cases that get called in in the mean time; it'll probably take you awhile."

As if on cue the phone on Jane's desk rang. She answered while the two boys continued tossing insults at each other.

"Hey, I hate to break up your play time but we've got a body called in." She interrupted their argument "Come on, Frost."

Korsak couldn't keep the smug little smile of his face as he watched Frost stomp off after Jane; it sure was fun to rag on the kid.

Much later that day in Washington, Joe was still busy with his own work when Tony knocked on his door and broke his concentration. He looked away from his computer screen to see what the disturbance was "Hey Tony, you on your way out?

"Yeah some of us normal people leave work at a reasonable hour you know."

"You wish you were normal. But that's another issue entirely, what's up?"

Tony flashed him a cocky smile "We're friends right? I mean we've known each other for awhile and worked together and all."

"Uh sure, but where exactly are you going with this? You aren't gonna ask me out are you? Because I don't swing that way man, even if I did, I know better."

"No of course not, I was wondering if you'd consider doing me a favor."

Joe leaned back in his chair and gave him a skeptical look "Depends on what that favor is. I'm willing to help a guy out if I can but I need to know what I'm getting myself into before I agree to anything"

"Would you be willing to share your girlfriend? She's hot."

Joe raised an eyebrow at the request "I am well aware of that, that's part of the reason why she's _my _girl and not _yours_. Did you seriously just ask me that?"

Tony just shrugged his shoulders and waited for Joe's answer.

"No, I will not share her with you, dip shit. Go find your own girl." Joe grumbled angrily.

"Hey no need for name calling, I just thought I'd ask." He put up his hands defensively "Geez you're just as bad as Pat, no fun at all. You know he took my phone and deleted that picture you sent me? Said he didn't want it used for nefarious purposes…what does that even mean?"

"Did you get hit in the head today Tony or you just being stupid? He's married and I only get to see my girl 3 days a week, it should be obvious we don't wanna share with you. Not to mention you've got very little respect for women and no idea what the word commitment means. Some of us actually have something worth fighting for you know, even if it means sometimes fighting with our _friends. _If it means keeping the people we love protected, then so be it. Most guys wouldn't even bother asking, a real friend would know 're a big boy now, go out and find your own woman." The icy glare Joe was shooting him could have frozen a tropical island.

"Alright, alright, calm down. I'm going, see?" he started backing up out the door "Sorry to bother you, get back to work now, but if you ever change your mind…"

Tony ducked a projectile stapler and made a run for the exit.

A few minutes later Patrick came down the hall and noticed the stapler on the floor. He picked it up and poked his head in Joe's office door. "Hey Joe, you missing something?"

He looked up and saw the stapler in his hand "Yeah, thanks man."

"Tony?" Patrick guessed, depositing the office ware back on his desk.

Joe nodded his head and sighed "Yeah, but he deserved it."

"Asked you about Jane didn't he?"

"Yep, asked and declined. Thanks for taking care of that picture for me though, I should have known Tony wouldn't have been able to handle it."

"It wasn't a problem. I only let him drool over it for a few minutes before I set the record straight. I tried to warn him but you know Tony."

Joe let out a deep sigh "Yeah unfortunately I do."

"So did you finally ask her to come to D.C. to visit? You're going to have to do it eventually; I don't know why it's taking you so long."

"We kind of got a little distracted this weekend with other things. Maybe I'll ask her later when she calls tonight."

Patrick studied his friend and colleague as he rubbed his forehead and exhaled a long breath of air in exhaustion. "Are you going home soon? You look like you could use some sleep man."

"I wish. I have a few more hours to put in tonight to make sure I have enough clocked for this week without killing me in the next three days. Then I can go home and sleep as long as I want, or at least as long as Jane lets me." The exultant smile that crept across his lips was hard to miss, Patrick had made that same expression himself many times.

"Oh the things we do for the women we love. If it were up to them I'm afraid we would all be their slaves."

The faint chuckle that escaped him had Patrick looking at him curiously "I don't know about Teresa, but I'm pretty sure Jane wouldn't know what to do with me if I were too complacent all of the sudden. We like tormenting each other too much to not have one of us fight back somehow." He explained easily "Though it would be an interesting experiment I'm sure."

Patrick shook his head in amusement at his statement "She's just as crazy as you are, isn't she?"

"And I wouldn't have her any other way."

They said their good byes for the evening and Patrick headed out to let Joe get back to his work.

Later that night as he sat in a recliner in his living room flipping through channels looking for anything half decent to watch while he ate a slice of pizza Joe realized it was getting rather late and he still hadn't heard from Jane.

When she still hadn't called and it was after 10 he decided he'd just call her instead. With a quick punch of a button he waited for the call to connect, the greeting he got was not a pleasant one.

"Rizzoli" she all but growled into the phone

"Um? Did I catch you at a bad time? I can call back later, I just hadn't heard from you all day."

Her grumpiness receded substantially when she recognized his voice "Sorry, no it's not a bad time, I'm stuck on surveillance duty outside a suspect's apartment but Frost left me alone to get us some coffee and Korsak is late getting here to relieve me. Today has just not been a good day."

"I'm sorry to hear that babe, anything I can do to make it better?" he asked hopefully.

"Not unless you can magically appear here with our suspect handcuffed and ready to talk. If you could do that for me that'd be great."

"Sorry baby but I have work tomorrow and my translocation skills are just not up to par at the moment. I still have to use those pesky airplanes to get around." Her sigh of disappointment made him wish he were there to wrap her up in his arms.

Careful to keep an eye on the entrance of the building she was watching she slouched down in her seat to try to get more comfortable. "I know, it's not your fault. But now that you've called I'm enlisting you to keep me awake and entertained until Korsak gets his act together and shows up. Dance monkey, dance."

Had he been sitting in the car with her he would have taken some form of revenge out on her, but as it was he decided to humor her instead. A slave he was indeed. "And just how would that do either of us any good? You wouldn't even be able to see it."

"I meant metaphorical dancing you ass" she teased with a laugh "I just need something to keep me sane for awhile and maybe cheer me up a bit, I've been in a terrible mood all day. Talk, sing, whistle, tell knock knock jokes for all I care, anything to make the time go faster, please."

"You want me to sing again? That's really what this is all about isn't it?" his gentle teasing brought on the first real smile Jane had all day.

"You could sing, or talk, your choice music man. But it's not everyday a tough guy like you has reason to break out into song, I have to enjoy it while I can."

"You could have just asked you know. I never said I was any good but it's hard for me to say no to you when you ask nicely…or at all. When you aren't demanding things you're actually alarmingly charming you know."

A highly undignified snort escaped her "I ask for things when I feel it's necessary, it just seems like so few things really warrant the effort most days. Besides as much as you try to complain about me being bossy I know you secretly love it. You're just as bossy as I am, you just hide it better with pretty words and all that charisma you ooze for the public. Don't think I haven't figured you out, I caught on to your game a long time ago."

"I have no idea what you mean." She didn't need to see his face to be able to tell he was grinning like a fool "Now about this other business of me singing, did you have anything specific in mind?"

Her request was simple "Just no more country please."

"Ok well that's good considering I don't know anymore anyway. How about I turn on the radio and see what I find? Sound fair enough?"

"I guess" She agreed "But if I ever hear anything by Lady Gaga from you I hope you realize you'll never hear the end of it."

Joe snickered for a second while he flipped on his stereo system. It was still tuned to Boston stations since he rarely listened to the radio outside of his car so he had to scan for a minute before he found an actual station playing music. He heard the end of some nameless song that had a rather twangy sound to it and kept flipping; he wouldn't have much luck there. He passed two other stations before he landed on one claiming to play a mix of today's most popular music and classic rock.

"Ok here we go, this one might work."

"Alright, lay it on me Springsteen, I'm waiting."

A new song was introduced then started playing over the speakers and by chance Joe actually had heard it before. It wasn't one of his favorites, a bit too sappy for him personally and he'd have to look up the lyrics on his laptop but as he listened to the song play out, trying to memorize the beat and rhythms he thought it was rather fitting for her.

"Ok It seems tonight's performance is going to be compliments of Bruno Mars. It's the first thing that played so that's what you get so no complaining."

"Hey I'm just surprised you're even doing this in the first place, what do I really have to complain about? I may be a brat but I don't look a gift horse in the mouth" Jane wasn't very good with knowing band names and what songs they sang so the name didn't give her any clues as to what was coming.

After a few minutes delay for Joe to get a copy of the lyrics he needed he was ready. "Ok so this isn't something I do very often in case you hadn't noticed, so cut me some slack if it doesn't turn out how you imagined."

"Just get on with it Joe, I don't need the disclaimer."

"Alright here it goes…"

By whatever freak chance of nature it was, Frost chose that moment to come back with their coffee. He slipped back into the car and passed Jane a cup and kept one for himself. He noticed she was on the phone and cocked his head to the side curiously. "Any change?"

"Hey could you hold on a sec, my coffee just got here." She rested her phone against her shoulder as she answered him "Nope, still nothing. No sign of our suspect or Korsak. He better have a damn good excuse for being late though, I've been sitting out here since four. Be glad that you got to go interview the vic's girlfriend or you woulda been here sittin' with me too."

"I'll be here overlapping with Korsak, which should be punishment enough as it is."

"Don't cry to me, I've done my time, it's time you do yours. He's not so bad once you get used to him."

Frost looked out the window to keep an eye on the entranceway and shrugged "I'm sure he isn't for you."

Jane picked up her phone again to tell Joe to continue, her speaker wasn't turned all the way up so there was little chance Frost would overhear them, even in the silence of the car. If he knew what was good for him he'd make an effort not to listen in on her conversation anyway.

"Alright I'm back, get to it."

"Ok but remember you asked for it…" he cleared his throat and started singing.

"_Oh, her eyes, her eyes, make the stars look like they're not shining.  
Her hair, her hair, falls perfectly without her trying.  
She's so beautiful, and I tell her every day._

Yeah, I know, I know, when I compliment her she won't believe me  
And it's so, it's so, sad to think that she don't see what I see.  
But every time she asks me do I look ok, I say…"

The huge grin Jane suddenly felt creep across her face had Frost looking at her like she was lunatic. She actually knew the song, she'd heard it on the radio a few times.

"_When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change  
'cause you're amazing, just the way you are.  
And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while_

'_cause girl you're amazing, just the way you are._

_Her lips, her lips, I could kiss them all day if she'd let me  
Her laugh, her laugh, she hates but I think it's so sexy  
She's so beautiful, and I tell her every day."_

As she'd suspected, Frost couldn't actually make out what the person on the other end of the phone was saying, only that whatever it was, it was finally putting Jane in a better mood than she'd been in all day. Far be it from him to interrupt, he was just grateful for small favors from unknown sources.

"_Oh, you know, you know, you know, I'd never ask you to change.  
If perfect's what you're searching for then just stay the same.  
So, don't even bother asking if you look ok  
You know I'll say_

When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change  
'cause you're amazing, just the way you are.  
And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while  
'cause girl you're amazing, just the way you are.  
The way you are, the way you are

_Girl you're amazing, just the way you are._

When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change  
'cause you're amazing, just the way you are.  
And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while  
'cause girl you're amazing, just the way you are."

There was silence on the line for a moment before Jane spoke up "Thank you, you have no idea how much I needed that right now." she told him emphatically.

"Well in that case you're welcome baby, anything to make you feel better. But as much as you enjoyed that, karaoke is over for tonight, I only do one song a night. But if you want me to stay up and talk for a bit I can do that."

"Yeah that might be nice. I vote for that plan."

Before she actually got down to talking though, Korsak's car materialized in the rear view mirror and her call waiting feature beeped to let her know she had a call. "Oops hold on again, freedom is calling."

She exchanged a few words with Korsak then kicked Frost out of the car. She was beyond ready to go home. Ending her call with the other detective let her swap back to her conversation with Joe. "Ok I'm good to go which means I have to say goodnight because I can't be driving around while I'm on the phone."

"You mean you still abide by the whole practice what you preach method? Haven't I told you you're no fun when you do that?"

"Shut up Joey, don't ruin your act now, you almost had me convinced you actually cared."

The pitiful inflection he managed to achieve was almost believable "Aw come on you know I care babe. Gimme a call tomorrow when you get off work ok? I have to get to bed soon anyway so I won't be dead on my feet tomorrow."

"Yeah ok, if I can I'll call. And Joe?" She paused momentarily

"Yeah baby?"

"Thank you again for tonight; I didn't realize how much I wanted to hear your voice until you called me."

"Your always welcome Jane, now get home and get to bed too, the sleep will do you good."

"Ok I'm going, I love you Joey, good night."

"I love you too baby, sweet dreams."

When she finally crawled into bed that night she curled up around her stuffed tiger in sheets that still vaguely smelled of his scent and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

A/N: Um...so success or failure? Lemme know. Just to cover my ass the songs contained in this cahpter were "Good Morning Beautiful" by Steve Holy and "Just the Way You are" by Bruno Mars. They were just songs I'd heard on the radio and felt they fit in nicely with the story so they got smushed in there. I couldn't let a former member of one of the first original boy bands ever get away with never singing to his girl even if it might be slightly OOC for him. It's my world so I can make him do whatever I want...but having said that, I also did try to keep everything else in character so I hope it didn't throw everything off too much. Hope you enjoyed, and thanks for sticking with me after so long, this huge gap between posts won't ever happen to this extend again I swear!


	9. Chapter 9

**I promised, and so it was done! Since it took me so freakin' long to get the last chapter up I worked by butt off extra hard to give you guys the other half of that chapter as soon as I could because I love you all THAT MUCH. If there are more mistakes then usual I do apologize but that's what happens when I work too hard, my brain turns to mush and I lose the ability to spell simple words. Huge thanks to all my faithful reviewers and all the Favorites/Story alerts, they are always great to see in the inbox and do wonders for getting me motivated! This chapter is dedicated to Betherzz, who finally wore me down enough (by asking politely of course) to give you the ACTUAL story of the infamous poison ivy incident. So if what any of you had pictured in your head is blown by this, blame her, not me, I was going to just leave it to the imagination :-P**

**This is an episode tag to 1x6 "I Kissed A Girl", some lines are pulled straight from the episode and others I altered slightly to fit my universe. The case stuff was left untouched so it was just the other stuff that got fudged a bit. Hope it doesn't bother anyone too much.**

**Disclaimer: Hmm lemme check...nope. Still not mine. But they are damn fun to play with. Not getting anything but a little bit of love for my wild imagination here.**

* * *

Tuesday and Wednesday bled into one another in her head as she spent the majority of both days trying to wrap up their case. By Thursday afternoon they were all exhausted and glad for the monotony of paperwork over chasing fleeing suspects down dark alleys and through the streets. The guilty ones _always_ ran.

Court appearance preparations and cold cases ruled the detective's afternoon and evening hours. Korsak and Frost were due to testify next week but thankfully she wasn't up again until the week after Joe's birthday which was swiftly approaching.

When Jane's cell rang in the early evening she hadn't even left work yet, but she picked it up anyway fearing the worst. "Rizzoli"

"Hey babe, I just got out of work so I'm going straight to the airport to catch a flight, are you gonna be free to pick me up?"

"Hey you, I'm pretty sure I can be there." She confirmed happily. The sudden cheerfulness of her tone caught Frost's attention so he did his best to discreetly eavesdrop.

"Alright, I'll see ya in about two hours then?"

"Yep, I'll be there. I just have a few things to finish up here and then I'll be ready to go. What do you want to do for food tonight?"

He took a minute to think about it "We're both tired, how about we just go out somewhere simple? Maybe burgers from Cornwall's."

"Oh I like the way you're thinking, it's a deal."

"Great, then I'm on my way home, I'll be there soon babe."

She made sure to keep the conversation decisively vague, whether it was subconscious or not she never actually said any names out loud to be over heard or divulged any of her plans for the evening. A fact that made it impossible for Frost to glean any extra tidbit of information he'd been hoping to get. There had to some way for him to figure out the whole duck thing, he just hadn't found it yet.

Jane didn't stay at the precinct for much longer after she hung up. She filed away all her paper work and handed in her reports to Cavanaugh then actually made it home at a reasonable hour.

Since she actually had the extra time she thought she'd do something nice for Joe, so 45 minutes later she had around two dozen freshly baked oatmeal raisin cookies cooling on a rack by the stove. It was about as far as her baking skills went but she figured it was the thought more than the skill level of the offering that counted. Anticipating traffic on the way, Jane left early for the airport with a few warm cookies in a bag to snack on in the car and to have waiting as a surprise.

As Joe walked out of the gate and towards the arrivals bay with just his briefcase in hand he heaved a great sigh of relief to be home again. He was delighted to find that Jane was waiting for him as promised, looking so unassumingly sexy leaning against a pillar and smiling at him knowingly.

They didn't need words for their greeting, their bodies were more accustomed to that specific purpose. He approached her, returning her smile with one of his own and laid his briefcase down on the ground before pulling her to him. They melted into one another in a tender but heated kiss. When he deepened the kiss and his tongue slipped into her mouth, he let out an audible groan when he tasted the oatmeal cookie she'd recently eaten.

He kept his eyes closed as he pulled back slowly, reluctant to lose the potent mix of flavors. "I think I just found heaven on Earth."

"Hello to you too Joey, I missed you. Do you like my surprise?"

His breathy reply made her smile "Like is a gross understatement. What did I do to deserve this so I know exactly what to do again?"

"If I told you that it would ruin all my fun, you're supposed to guess."

"Hmm well how about I guess over dinner then, you made me hungry babe. I hope there are more of those cookies from wherever they came from, I think I've discovered my new favorite flavor."

Knowing how much he really loved oatmeal cookies Jane figured it wouldn't be very nice to hold out on him entirely. "I have some for you in the car actually; I just made them before you got in."

"Well what are we waiting for?" he bent down to pick up his briefcase and then promptly secured his arm around Jane's waist and steered her to the closest door "Let's get outta here."

Once they made it back to the car Jane made Joe search for his prize while she drove. It didn't take him long to flip down the visor on the passenger side and find the little bag with only two cookies left in it that fell into his lap.

"All that for two cookies? You're holding out on me babe." He complained petulantly and took a bite of one of the cookies.

Jane glanced over at him while stopped at a red light "Oh hush you big whiner, there's more at home I just didn't want to spoil dinner."

"Is that the story you're sticking to?"

"Yeah, why? You gonna call me a liar now?"

Joe eyed her suspiciously "If I know you, and I think I can say that by now I do quite extensively, there were more cookies to begin with and you got hungry on the drive to come get me and you ate them yourself, leaving poor little me with your leftovers."

"That so? Well first of all, you are neither poor, nor little, so I don't feel bad for you. Secondly, even if that were the truth, which I'm not admitting it is, my explanation is still valid. You can have as many cookies as you want once we get back home _after_ dinner."

The sudden appearance of his familiar cheeky grin was unexpected; she was anticipating more of a fight from him. "What's that smile for? If you even think of causin' me any trouble while I'm driving I'm leaving you on the side of the road and you can walk home."

"It's nothing to be concerned over, I promise." he reached over and gently rested his hand on her knee "I just love that you refer to your place as home for both of us. There was a time not too long ago that you wouldn't have done that."

That caught Jane slightly by surprise, she hadn't consciously been thinking about it but she had just said it not once, but three times in as many minutes. "As long as you're in Boston you'll always have a home with me Joey. Just don't make me regret admitting that or you'll be banished back to Washington for the foreseeable future." She reached down and dislodged his hand from her leg in favor of holding her hand instead.

He gave their clasped hands a reassuring squeeze "I wouldn't dream of it."

When they finally got to the intended pub they walked in and greeted Charlie behind the bar and Mark, the one waiter that had been working there for long enough to recognize both of their faces on sight. He seemed surprised to see them together and looked like he wanted to comment about it, but led them to a small off to the side without fuss and took their orders instead.

"So how long until Charlie comes over here and interrogates us you think?"

Joe looked over his shoulder at the man behind the bar who watched them from afar with a curious fascination. "I'd give him until our food gets here probably."

"You think he'll hold out that long?"

"It's just a guess, doesn't really matter does it? We know it'll happen eventually."

Jane shrugged in noncommittal acceptance and went on to other topics. "So, you're birthday is next week isn't it?"

"Yeah it is, I didn't think you remembered that." He admitted shyly.

The look she gave him made him believe otherwise. "Joey, I've always known when your birthday was, just like you know very well when mine is. This is just the first time I've had reason to actually celebrate it instead of spend all day strategically avoiding you. You were always the most obnoxious on your birthday."

"Well isn't it tradition to do whatever you want on your birthday?"

"I suppose, but most guys go out and find themselves a girl to sleep with, not annoy." Jane pointed out.

"Believe me, if I thought I could have gotten away with it I would have. It was inconvenient that the girl I wanted wouldn't take me seriously, made it really hard to actually get that elusive birthday wish I'd been making for the last couple years."

Jane arched an eyebrow at him "Do I even want to ask?"

"Let's just say it always involved you with very little clothes on. Do you have any idea how much of a tease it was to see you everyday in that uniform? That little plaid skirt was torture to a teenage boy, there is a reason Catholic school girl fantasies are so popular you know."

Despite the blush rising to her cheeks Jane had to laugh "Joey you coulda had just about any girl in that school, all you had to do was turn on that irritatingly effective charm of yours and smile. In fact I'm pretty sure that's exactly what you did do to most of the girls. You never seemed to be lacking in female companionship when you wanted it. It just pissed me off to no end that despite that you still wouldn't leave me alone. I always figured if you had your attention on someone else you'd spend less time annoying me."

"And how wrong you were." He gave her a toothy grin "They were decent distractions but they weren't who I really wanted. Didn't you ever notice I never stayed with any one girl for very long? There was a reason for that."

"Yeah I did notice that, I just assumed you scared them off with your personality." Jane teased

"Not quite, but more than a few of them were jealous of you." He told her pointedly.

"Me? What the hell would they be jealous of me for? I wasn't even that popular in high school, outside of the field hockey team I didn't have many friends."

Joe's eyes twinkled with an unexpected mirth "Ah but you had what they didn't."

"And what was that? A pain in the ass enemy and his big sister?"

"My prolonged attention." Joe corrected "They didn't always appreciate how often I sought you out, even if it was just so I could heckle you about something stupid."

"Well I didn't appreciate it either so I guess we were all mad at you for the same thing. You were extremely lucky I didn't have many boy friends or you would have had a hell of a time getting around them."

Joe scoffed at the mere idea "I managed just fine with the few you did have. They never lasted long anyway, most of them scared easily."

"You took full advantage of that didn't you? I suspected you had something to do with at least one of those break ups but I never could find any solid proof."

"What can I say? I hide my tracks well. But enough about past birthdays let's get back to this coming one."

The sudden backtrack in conversation was welcomed, thinking about high school always brought mixed emotions for Jane. "Well did you have anything specific in mind?"

"If I'm not mistaken it so conveniently falls on a Thursday this year which means I'll be home that night for any kind of birthday surprises you might come up with. I didn't have any particular activity in mind despite the obvious of course."

"That doesn't give me much to work with Joey." It didn't really matter what he had said anyway, she'd already had the weekend planned out almost a month in advance. It had taken her that long to secure the necessary time off, the plane tickets and his birthday present. She made a mental note to call Patrick early next week and make sure he was still on board with her plan.

"I'm sure you'll come up with something babe, you're a very intelligent woman." He grabbed her hand and brushed his lips across her knuckles.

"Real smooth Joey, real smooth."

Any remark he would have had in response to her gibe was interrupted by the arrival of their food and the aforementioned interrogation from the mutual acquaintance of Charlie the bartender.

"Well look what the cat dragged in!" he greeted them warmly, offering Joe a slap on the shoulder and Jane a polite nod after he placed a burger in front of each of his long time patrons.

"What's all this now?" gesturing between the couple sharing a table "I heard you ran off and got yourself a job in D.C." he pointed at Joe "and you" he turned his focus on Jane "I haven't seen with anyone but that hot doctor friend of yours for a few months and now all the sudden you two show up together? What's the hell is going on here?" he threw up his hands in exasperation.

"I did get a job in D.C. I work for Homeland Security now. You want me to flash you the badge?" he offered laughing at his friend's expense.

"Not necessary thanks, but what the hell are you doing here in Boston on a Thursday night then? Shouldn't you be out securing something top secret?"

"Nope, not tonight, did that all week already. Now it's time to spend a little quality time with my girl." He told him motioning his head towards Jane.

His eyebrows shot up nearly to his hairline as he looked between the two people sharing a smile. "Hold the phone, what the hell do you mean your girl? Rizzoli did you get hit in the head? Maybe fall down a flight of stairs of something?"

The hearty laugh she let out was proof enough to him that she had lost her mind, the only response she gave was a smile and "Surprise"

"Surprise? You drop a bomb like that on me and all you have to say is surprise? Genghis Kahn had more finesse than that."

"But didn't he conquer like all of Asia? That's pretty impressive isn't it?" Jane said looking for confirmation from Joe who just gave a shrug, history was not his forte.

"That's not the point! Anytime I have ever seen you two in the vicinity of each other you've been at each other's throats or trying to be as far away from one another as possible. What happened to those bickering people I know?"

They shared a look and a silent conversation before turning back to the waiting bartender "Turns out it's more beneficial to play nicely than pull pigtails." Joe supplied "A lot more beneficial, if you get my drift."

"Oh boy, I suppose congratulations are in order…but you guys are both a piece of work you know that?"

"It may have been mentioned once or twice in conversation" Joe agreed cheerily "Seems fitting doesn't it?

Charlie just shook his head in disbelief "I don't even know what to say to that. You guys enjoy your burgers, I gotta get back behind the bar."

Jane offered him a little wave and a smile before he turned his back to them and stalked away towards the bar.

"Well that was fun." She turned back towards Joe before digging into her burger.

"I'd say so." Joe approved, taking a bite of his own food.

Dinner conversation was scarce after that but not at all awkward. Once they'd both finished their plates and got their check Jane snatched it up before Joe could grab it. "This one's on me, you bought like the last dozen times, it's my turn."

"It's not gonna do me any good to argue with you is it?"

"Nope, now come on unless you wanna walk home from here."

He followed her out the door and back to the car. The drive back was uneventful, as was their home coming to her apartment. Little Joe Friday was happy as always to have her humans back and promptly rolled over to offer her belly for scratching.

"Your dog is shameless" he informed her as he knelt down to ruffle the fluffy little creature.

"I know, she's terrible! But it's better having a push over dog than an aggressive one right? Could you imagine her if she were vicious?"

Joe looked down at the diminutive ball of fluff under his hand and tilted his head "No, not really, but you wouldn't have kept her if she was so it's kinda a moot point isn't it?"

"I suppose. It's just one of those what ifs you know?"

"I prefer not to think about what ifs anymore, life is full of too many of those. How about we focus on the present for now? Like for instance, where are my cookies? You promised me more once we got back home" he looked around him taking in the space holding an array of both their possessions "and we're definitely home now."

Jane grabbed two cookies from the cooling rack and came to stand beside Joe "Yeah we are, aren't we?" She handed him a cookie and gave him a warm smile.

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world." He wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her in for a hug and another oatmeal laced kiss.

They spent the rest of the night eating cookies and watching movies until Jane's eyes started to droop and Joe couldn't reign in his yawns.

As they got ready for bed Joe's eyes crinkled in a joyful smile as he watched Jane strip out of her clothes and pull on one of his t-shirts before crawling under the covers. The stuffed tiger was sitting in its normal place on the nightstand on her side of the bed and she gave it a pat on the head before reaching out a hand toward him to pull him down into bed also. He came willingly and in no time at all they were wrapped up in each other and drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Friday morning Joe was up long before Jane was and had breakfast in bed waiting for her when he kissed her awake ten minutes before her alarm should have gone of (if she'd remember to set it, which it turned out she hadn't).

"What would you do without me baby? You'd never make it to work on time." He teased her gently as she tried to rub the sleep from her eyes.

"You're a better alarm clock than that stupid thing" She said waving an indignant hand in the general direction of the appliance in question.

He grinned at her frazzled morning hair and sluggish movements. "Thanks babe, I'm so glad to know you prefer me to your alarm clock. I bet it doesn't make you breakfast either does it?"

The mention of food had her perking up slightly "No, it most certainly does not. Which I will repeat, is why I like to keep you around instead."

They shared a plate of scrambled eggs and some toast with a cup of coffee for each of them while they lounged in bed. Joe had to nearly drag her out of bed and into the shower to get her motivated enough to get to work on time but he managed it without too much hassle. He kissed her good bye, confirmed plans to meet her for lunch and made sure she was out the door with coffee in hand in time to make it to the precinct before her shift started.

He didn't have any activities planned for the day so he killed a few hours doing some work on his laptop (one of the only things that had been in his briefcase that had made the trip with him) and gave into Joe Friday's silent but near constant plea to be walked. Jane called around 12:30 to get lunch so he walked the couple of blocks to the precinct and met her for a relaxed outing at the deli down the street.

When he walked her back down the street he made sure to stay a few feet back from the view of any windows when he kissed her goodbye, not only for their own privacy but to deter any unwanted interruptions like last time. Korsak would have to be actively looking for them to catch them this time, which thankfully he wasn't.

He'd correctly assumed that Joe was in town again when Jane had showed up looking entirely too cheerful for a Friday morning and sipping from a coffee cup that was not from her favorite venue on her morning commute. Korsak may still be protective of his old partner but he wasn't willing to go out looking for trouble anymore, especially not if it ended up with him in hot water with Jane. He figured as long as he knew who she was with and didn't come back in any worse shape than she left in he would stay out of their way, for the time being anyway.

Frost was still totally unaware of who she was spending her time with and despite his best efforts wasn't making much progress on unraveling the mystery of the duck and its meaning.

Maura, for all her book smarts and intelligence hadn't figured out who Jane was spending all her free time when she wasn't with her either, but she at least had deduced that it was a man from the flower and chocolate that had mysteriously shown up in the last month. Though she didn't quite understand why Jane wouldn't have told her about any new man in her life she figured there must have been a legitimate reason and was patiently waiting for the big reveal.

She had finally gotten Jane to agree to go to a yoga class with her on Sunday, though she suspected it was more out of guilt from declining all her previous invitations than an actual desire to indulge in the meditative practice. Maybe she could get it out of her then.

Having not caught a case all day, Jane clocked out as soon as she reasonably could and returned home to find Joe out on her balcony, a book in one hand, an apple in the other and Joe Friday curled up in his lap fast asleep.

She stood in the doorway from her kitchen leading outside and leaned her hip against the jamb "Well I can see I was missed today."

Joe lifted his head from his book when he heard her voice and gave her an easy smile "Hey babe, how was work?" he put his apple down on a napkin he'd brought out with him and marked his page with a bookmark before tossing his book aside. His sudden movement woke up the snoozing pooch in his lap so she leapt off his lap to greet Jane when she noticed her in the doorway.

"Uneventful, which looks kind of like how your day went if I'd warrant a guess."

Joe vacated his chair and greeted her properly with a kiss hello. "Hmm and you would actually be right this time."

"Aren't I usually?" She mocked him, stealing another kiss before retreating back inside out of the heat of the lingering sun.

"You have your moments" he relented, following her path and closing the door behind him to not let the cooler air conditioned air out.

"So what's on the agenda for tonight? Date night?" she gave him that knowing look that got his heart racing and his blood pumping faster "or would you prefer to stay in?"

He pretended to think about it before all too excitedly agreeing to option number two. "There's just something to be said about a good old fashioned night in with your girl." He informed her already formulating all the things he wanted to do to her "you never know what could happen."

His cheesy lines had her laughing as she checked the fridge to see if there was anything left they could make for dinner. She didn't see many options so she took a quick stock of what was in her freezer before deciding it would be something classic and intensely simple tonight. She pulled out a container of frozen homemade tomato sauce compliments of her mother and substituted the traditional meatballs in favor of some pork chops she'd forgotten were in her freezer.

"So whatcha find?" Joe asked materializing behind her and breathing in her ear.

She turned around and handed him the container then pointed at the stove "Put this in a pot please?"

"Well since you asked so nicely how can I say no?" he took the plastic container from her and gave her a quick kiss before searching through her cookware for a proper sized pot.

"While you're in there grab the pasta pot too will you? Save me the trouble of getting it later." She requested as she threw the frozen meat in her microwave on defrost.

He reemerged from her cabinet with two pots in hand and passed one off to Jane before settling the other one on the stove. He dumped the frozen chunk of sauce in the middle of the pot and turned the heat on low under it to thaw it out. "Ok I helped." He declared playfully, leaning back against the counter "Now what?"

"You're a jerk you know that?" He might have believed her words if she hadn't been fighting a smile when she said them.

"Oh I won't deny that fact, but you love me anyway. Why bother with false pretenses when I can just be myself without the fear of rejection?"

Jane gave him a half hearted glare "Don't get too cocky, I can still kick you out anytime I want remember? I pay the rent here so it's technically still my apartment even if we're currently sharing it."

Joe gave her his best sad puppy face "You wouldn't really would you?"

She tried her best not to cave to his big pleading eyes, she stared him down and raised one questioning eyebrow "Wouldn't I? Are you really willing to find out?"

Not entirely sure he could call her bluff he gave in and apologized. "I'm sorry baby, I promise I won't take anything for granted."

The triumphant smile that spread across Jane's lips and the sudden twinkle in her eye had him speechless for a second. "Why you little brat! You were bluffing weren't you?"

"Guess you'll never know now will you Joey?" She answered back mirthfully, hiding a smirk as she turned to her pantry door to see what kind of pasta she had on hand.

"Oh you are so getting it tonight Janie" he threatened "just you wait."

"You're all talk Joey, and you know it."

"Just remember payback's a bitch baby, and karma has a way of catching up with you."

Unperturbed by his warning Jane continued going about her business preparing dinner. By the time the pork chops were defrosted and given a quick sauté before throwing them in the sauce she had a pot of water boiling and ready for the spaghetti she'd pulled out earlier.

She turned to Joe who had taken to sulking on a stool and put him in charge of making a salad.

When everything was ready they had both put their earlier exchange behind them in favor of sharing their dinner together in more light hearted conversation.

They cleaned up after themselves and grabbed a few more cookies to share amongst them as they relaxed on her couch.

"I have to go to a yoga class on Sunday morning with Maura." Jane said without preamble, leaning back against his chest between his legs much like she had the weekend before.

"Oh really? That's unfortunate. How did she manage to talk you into that?" He asked bending down to lay a kiss at the crown of her head.

"Guilted me into it. She's been trying to get me to go for weeks now and I finally couldn't say no any more. I'm sorry."

"I'll get over it" he told her tracing circles into the flesh of her stomach where her shirt had risen up slightly. "Just means I get to sleep in and mock you when you come back lookin' like a pretzel."

"You'll just love that won't you?"

"Sure will" he confirmed "but I promise to help untangle you afterwards."

She glanced up at him over her shoulder "Thanks, I might need that." When the playful glint in his eyes didn't dwindle like she expected it too she started to get suspicious.

"I know that look Joey, whatever it is you're planning spit it out."

"There's more than one way of ending up a human pretzel you know, I was wondering if maybe I could convince you to give it a try."

Jane shot him a rather confused glance and sat up to face him "This doesn't involve naked twister does it?"

The deep belly laugh that Joe let out at the suggestion was answer enough. "No, but we can try that some other time if you want. You had half the idea right though, there usually isn't any clothing involved for what I had in mind."

"You've intrigued me, do continue."

"This is really one of those things that are better showing rather than telling." He leaned in and left a faint trail of kisses down the shell of her ear. "It's fun I promise"

"Mmm, human pretzel doesn't sound too bad all of the sudden." She shivered as he took the lobe of her ear between his teeth "not so bad at all."

"Come on, we'll go see just how flexible you really are." He whispered in her ear.

She trailed after him by just a step, flicking the lights off after her as they went. When the bedroom door closed behind them everything outside her room was obscured into darkness for the duration of the night.

* * *

Sunrise dissolved the shadows the dark of night had encased everything in with its vivid array of pinks, purples and oranges and heralded in a new day just as it always did. It wasn't until several hours after that event however, that either occupant of Jane's bed even stirred.

As usual it was Joe that cracked his eyes open first, intensely grateful of the fact they'd closed the shades the night before to ensure their privacy. The room was still mostly dark but a telltale glow from under the curtains informed him it was indeed morning without needed to glance at the clock.

Jane was still using him as a pillow so he was somewhat limited in movement but he really hadn't intended making any move to leave the bed anyway. Waking up with her next to him was by far one of his favorite parts of his day. One of his hands idly stroked through her hair as he laid there, brain blissfully unoccupied with anything other than just living in the perfection of the peaceful moment he'd found himself in.

He wasn't quite sure how long it was before he felt her twitch and start to wake up but it didn't matter when she finally lifted her head to place a kiss on his jaw. "G'morin' Joey."

"Good morning baby" he returned the sentiment easily "how ya feeling?"

A slow smile spread over her face "Good. But I seem to have developed a sudden unexplainable appreciation of pretzels."

"I can't ever imagine why that might be." He laughed softly, pressing a kiss to her temple.

They were silent again for several extended moments, both content to enjoy the comfort they found in each others arms.

A sudden thought popped into Joe's mind so he broke the quiet that had fallen between them. "Will you come back to D.C. with me?"

Jane's head popped up so fast she almost smacked him in the chin. Her voice shook with a touch of uncertainty "To visit or to stay?"

Joe looked her in the eyes and considered his next words carefully. He wanted so much to say stay so he wouldn't ever have to wake up without her again, but the sinking feeling the unknown emotion he saw reflecting out of her brown eyes was fear kept him from voicing that very statement.

"To visit." He said instead. "I'd like to show you around town, if you're interested. It's also pretty much non-negotiable that Patrick and Teresa will want to have you over at their house at some point, might as well give in to the inevitable."

He felt her relax in his arms as he explained, snuggling back into his side lazily. Possible crisis averted for the time being.

"Maybe next month, I'll see what kind of vacation time I can put together if that's ok?"

Joe was a little surprised she agreed so readily, he'd honestly thought she'd make a bigger fuss about leaving work. "That's fine with me; I know it's hard to arrange time off. If I give you a specific weekend would that be easier for you?"

"Maybe, depends on how many other people want that weekend off too. Do you have something specific planned?"

"Not really, but part of my arrangement for getting most weekends off was that I had to pick one weekend a month that I would be on call. If I could convince you to overlap that weekend with your visit it would mean only the usual number of days apart instead of the 11 or 12 we'd otherwise be facing. I don't know about you, but I'd much rather prefer the 4 days."

Thinking back to the last time they'd been forced to spend that long apart Jane was inclined to agree with him, it hadn't been very pleasant. "Me too. I'll put in the vacation request on Monday."

And just like that the issue was settled. No, begging and pleading required no arguments over missed work or who would watch her dog. Just a simple request answered with an equally simple statement.

The reality had been so much easier than Joe's imagination that he felt kind of stupid for not bringing it up sooner. Of course he still didn't know that she had already arranged a trip down to surprise him for his birthday but she had no intention of letting that slip until she was already firmly standing on D.C. soil.

Jane made a mental note to set up a meeting with Cavanaugh at some point on Monday. If Joe was willing to arrange his schedule to see her, she could make the extra effort to ensure one weekend completely off to return the favor. She spent most weekends on call and had plenty of vacation time stored up so taking a long weekend once a month shouldn't seem like an unreasonable request. She was just relieved he hadn't asked her to think about relocating, that was not something she could handle at the moment.

The lazy morning turned into an equally lazy day as the hours passed. Neither had much of a desire to go out and do anything specific so they spent the majority of their time in bed or doing mindless activities around the apartment that didn't require much of a dress code. The lack of effort the day required was a relief to both over worked and usually very busy people. It was a sorely needed reprieve from their otherwise hectic lives.

When dinner time rolled around they finally found the drive to get dressed and head out for a relaxing night on the town. As much as dinner and movie could be considered the town anyway. She'd made a face at his suggestion to go dancing and declined the offer to try to catch a concert or show at one of the theatres or local venues. Since she didn't seem to want to do anything elaborate they settled on a steakhouse in Back Bay East and then whatever was playing at the theatre closest to her apartment. Joe wouldn't have minded doing something more exciting but it turned out to be a fitting close to the otherwise uneventful day.

* * *

Sunday morning found them sitting at the kitchen divider sharing the paper between the two of them and eating pieces of French toast before Jane had to leave for her first Yoga experience with Maura.

Causing as much of a nuisance as he could, Joe followed her into her room where she changed into what he classified as a black sports bra and a pair of cotton exercise pants. "You're wearing that in public?" he heckled her once he realized how much skin she was showing.

"Yeah. Something wrong with that Joey? You wouldn't be trying to imply I'm fat would you? Because you know that won't end well for you."

"There gonna be any guys at this class?" He asked instead of dignifying her previous statement with an answer.

"How should I know? Do guys do yoga? This is the first time I've ever gone, it could be a room full of middle aged housewives for all I know."

Joe took a minute to contemplate the possibilities. He wasn't fond of the idea of guys getting the wrong impression and he certainly didn't want anyone ogling his girl while she was busy trying to twist herself into any number of odd poses. But there wasn't much he could do about that, there was no chance in hell he'd tag along for this particular activity even if Jane had invited him to, which she hadn't.

Instead he bit back the retort he'd been about to say and instead wished her happy stretching and sent her on her way with a pretty heated and drawn out good bye kiss, just to remind her what and who was waiting for her back at home.

Ten minutes into the class Jane knew why she'd never taken up Yoga before, stretching hurt when you weren't in the habit of doing it regularly. She also figured out why Maura was so fond of this particular class when the instructor, who was paying a bit too much attention to Maura to be entirely professional, introduced himself as Brock to the class.

She caught on to downward dog easily enough but when any further directions that involved flipping or putting any limbs in the air were mentioned she was at a bit of a loss. She tried to whisper to Maura from her spot next to her. "This hurts."

"Pain is only in the mind" she whispered back as the instructor asked them to switch positions.

Jane should have been leaning back balanced on one arm like the rest of the class but when she'd lifted her leg in an attempt to swing it over her body she felt the pain "Feels like my leg" she complained again. She tried to pick up her arm and do the pose inverted but lost her balance on the one arm supporting her and fell over.

She heard a soft laughter and looked up to find a man in the row in front of her watching her with amusement. She chose to ignore him and waited until the instructor told them to go back to a pose she knew she could do. When the class returned to downward dog she turned her head back to Maura "My mind has a cramp"

Instead of scolding her again Maura whispered something else far more interesting back "You know the guy that keeps smiling at you, Jorge? He just broke up with his girlfriend."

"Really?" She asked more out of curiosity then an avid interest in his life.

"Mmhm, double date tonight?" She informed her.

"No!" she insisted a little too loudly and got shushed from more than a few of her peers. "Sorry" she apologized after lowering her voice again. "I can't."

Her cell phone started ringing before the conversation could go much further than that, interrupting the class.

"Oh alright, but only if I get to bring my own date." She caved at Maura's look then lowered her voice even more "Jorge is not allowed."

Answering her phone ushered along both her and Maura's early exits from the class and to an alley to their waiting crime scene.

After giving Frost a little sass for remarking on the fact that Maura got her to do yoga they jumped in head first. When Jane got a decent look at the head wound she knew the likely culprit "Frost we're lookin' for a 2x4…" she trailed off as her partner picked up a bloody piece of wood and gave her a knowing look, changing her statement instead to "Frost we're lookin' for an idiot."

"That your way of saying you want to talk to the husband?" he responded with a smile.

"What's it say about relationships if the husband and the boyfriend's our first suspect?" she lamented.

"Are you getting ready for an I hate men speech?" Frost asked her, anticipating her usual gruffness.

"I _like_ men…" a clear picture of Joe popping up in her head "just not the ones that kill."

After Maura took a look through the victim's IPad she interrupted her friend "Jane…it might not be the husband" she told her handing over the fancy piece of electronics.

"'Cause she didn't have a husband." Jane filled in, taking in the wedding picture taking up the screen of the two women.

Before she made her way into the station to get the rest of the investigation started she dropped by her apartment for a change of clothes. As she walked in the door she found Joe perched on a stool at the kitchen divider doing something on his laptop.

He looked up when he heard the door and greeted her "Hey babe, how was your first yoga experience?"

"Painful."

"I'm sorry. You want a back rub? I can do a decent one if the situation calls for it" he offered helpfully.

"And that is among one of the many reason why I love you." She said meeting his lips for a quick kiss.

"But can I take a rain check on that? I got called in on a case, so I'm just here long enough to change my clothes before I head in."

It was hard to miss the pout that crossed his face when he realized they probably wouldn't be spending much, if any, more time together today. He did a valiant job hiding it though, "Ok, duty calls. I get it. I guess I should be happy this hasn't happened before now."

"Oh and we're going on a double date tonight just so you know." Jane surprised him as she walked down the hall towards her room.

"Oh really, with who?" he asked following her to her room.

Jane picked a shirt from her closet and pulled it on, then followed with a pair of slacks to match. "Maura and Brock the yoga instructor. She wanted me to go with this guy Jorge from the class since I still kinda haven't told her about us yet, but I promise I will tonight, as long as you promise to go with me." She gave him her best pleading look, a deadly mix of big brown puppy dog eyes and feminine allure that was very hard for Joe to turn down.

"Ok I'm in, but can we try to make it early? I still have to catch a flight back tonight." He caved, falling prey to the Rizzoli charm.

"Thank you!" The sudden hug she wrapped him up in was a pleasant surprise and the kiss she added on to the end of it was even better. "You're the best."

"Yeah I know, now go work this case so you can get home tonight in time for dinner." He stole another kiss from her before she left her room, taking his time to coax her mouth open to let his tongue in to meet her own and letting his hands wander her body. The groan that slipped from her was a small victory for him but since he knew he wouldn't be getting anything more from her, he reluctantly pulled back.

She stood there in the same spot with her eyes closed trying to catch her breath for a good 5 seconds before she found the will to move again. "You're pure evil."

"Love you too Janie." He told her with a wicked grin as he turned his back to her and walked back out to his waiting laptop in the other room.

"The devil incarnate." She yelled to his retreating form.

It took her an extra moment or two to get her hormones back under control before she shrugged on a blazer and ventured out of her room to pull on her boots.

Joe watched her from his stool, the same grin on his face he'd walked away with. "Can you give me a heads up when dinner is tonight please? I want to look my best for the occasion."

"The rate you're going you'll be lucky if I even still bring you." She retaliated, still miffed that he'd deliberately worked her up knowing how little time she had.

"Wasn't my idea remember? This is a favor I'm doing for you, not the other way around." He reminded her cheekily.

"Fine." She gave him a falsely sweet smile "then I'll just drop you off early and tell Maura to call Jorge and invite him instead, maybe he knows how to play nice."

His mood changed so quickly she hadn't even had time to react. His lips were back on her in a flash, powerful and demanding, not even the slightest trace of sweetness he'd had just a few moments ago, just a faint sense that he was trying to posses her, instead of just kiss her. It left her dizzy and short of breath when he finally released her.

Joe growled in her ear "I _will_ go with you tonight and nobody is going to mention _Jorge_ again. Got it?"

Startled by his tone she nodded her head mostly out of reflex instead of understanding.

The sudden surge of jealous passion slipped away and Joe immediately reverted back to the man she recognized to explain himself "Jane, please don't take this the wrong way, but when you told me you loved me too, that gave me the right to call you mine, just as much as it gave you the right to call me yours." He pulled her into his arms for a very gentle and comforting hug, completely contradictory to his actions just seconds beforehand "I take that seriously, I'm not gonna order you to stay away from all other men because I know that's not necessary and I'm not that type of guy, I trust you more than to try to make needless and outrageous demands of you. But if it's all the same to you, don't go out with him. Please? I couldn't handle losing you like that. Just the thought of it hurts too much."

Jane didn't quite know what to do, for the first time in her life he had actually scared her for just a split second. But then his plea finally registered thru the haze in her head and she returned the hug full force. "I didn't mean it Joey; you have to know I didn't mean it."

He pressed a tender kiss to her temple and rested his forehead against hers "Please don't joke about it then? I love you Jane, I don't wanna lose you to someone else. It's hard enough being away from you so often. You're the one I want to come home to at the end of the day; the one person I know will be there for me when I need you to be. You're my family, my lover, my best friend. Please don't take that away."

His hushed whisper almost had a tear running down her cheek but she held herself together enough to reign it in. "I promise Joey, no more jokes. You know I love you, whether you're here in Boston or away in Washington, I will always love you." an affectionate kiss brushed against his cheek emphasized her words "Never doubt that."

Their eyes met and she saw the insecurity swirling in the hazel depths. She kissed him again to take away the inadvertent pain she'd caused him, wrapping her arms around him in an effort to offer the optimum amount of comfort. When he pulled away a moment later she was confused "You have to go" he reminded her softly "Be safe and call me when you know when dinner is ok?"

Reluctantly she backed completely away from him and out of his embrace to head for the door. "I promise. I love you Joseph Edmond Grant" she swore solemnly before she opened the door to leave "always."

Then she was out the door and on her way to the precinct.

After interviewing the wife, Jane met Maura down in the morgue for autopsy results.

She walked in on the medical examiner carefully stitching up the dead body. "Oh come on it's not like she has to worry about the scar."

Maura didn't even bother looking up from her project "Don't rush me" she complained.

"Well multi-task then. Time of death?" the detective asked impatiently.

"The core temperature I took hepatically was 88.4°."

The expectant look Jane shot her led her to further explain herself "killed between 2 and 3am" she supplied looking up at her friend.

When Maura didn't add anything else Jane asked another question, this time not at all related to the case. "So we still on for tonight?"

"For what?" she asked innocently.

"The double date. _Without _Jorge." She was adamant to stress "If you want to do this it was to be early though, my date has an important prior engagement he really can't miss but he wants to come along."

The mention of the date peeked Maura's interest, this was a perfect opportunity to try to pry the truth out of her best friend "I don't know if Brock will agree if Jorge isn't going, you sure you don't want him to come along?"

"If he does then I'm not going." Jane explained simply.

"Oh Jane…"

"What about DNA substance from the sexual assault?" Jane switched topics back to their open case having nothing more to say about the previous subject.

Maura leaned against the edge of the autopsy table with a sigh "No semen, but I did collect a few deer skin fibers."

"So we're looking for Bambi." Jane concluded, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No" Maura replied moving around the table to the opposite side "Deer skin from apparel."

Jane had no idea what kind of apparel came in leather these days "Moccasins? A tepee?"

"Ah, tepees are generally constructed from buffalo hides."

"Wow" she tilted her head back in annoyance looking up at the ceiling "Uh you are soooo literal."

The medical examiner ignored her and kept on working "The deer skin actually has great tactility, the small pores make it soft, tough." She turned around and held a splayed rubber glove covered hand towards Jane "Work gloves."

"So no prints" Jane added mostly as an after thought.

Maura turned her attention back to the body on her table, taking a closer look "Oh"

"What?" She hoped she had found something she could use as evidence.

"Jorge thinks you're hot." Maura goaded her friend again.

"Forget it. I already told you, no."

She turned around to face Jane directly hands going to her hips "You still haven't told me why not though. What's wrong with Jorge?"

"There's nothing wrong with Jorge as far as I know, aside from the fact he does yoga."

"So striving for a healthy mind and body is something to frown upon? Do you hold that against me too?" Maura challenged.

She let out an exasperated sigh "No I don't hold that against you. I don't hold it against anyone."

Maura knew her best friend well enough to realize she was close to the break through she was looking for, with just a bit more gentle nudging she'd finally have her answer. "Then why won't you give Jorge a chance?

"Because I've already got a boy friend!" Jane finally blurted out unceremoniously, the echo of her voice's abrupt change in volume rattling around the empty room. "And I promised him I wouldn't. I don't break my promises, Maura." She added in a much lower tone.

She was startled initially by Jane's raised voice but as the echo dissipated and her friend's admission lingered between them she couldn't conceal the half smirk her lips curled into. "Now was that so hard to say?"

"You knew?" Jane asked incredulously "Why the hell are you bugging me about Jorge then?"

"I suspected." Maura corrected "I didn't know for sure and you know how uncomfortable I am with guessing anything."

"How'd you figure it out? How long have you known?

Anticipating Jane's reaction, Maura was ready to answer any questions her friend might come up with. "The _Lilium lancifolium _on your desk was my first clue. Factoring in the chocolates and duck toy on your desk as well as the fact that you're no longer lingering at work for long hours and talking on your phone more often I deduced that there was someone of interest in your life. Since you never actually told me anything I couldn't confirm my theory."

"I should have known you're too smart to find anything from. The duck wasn't from him though, that's just Korsak's idea of a joke."

Maura raised a speculative eyebrow "What could Korsak possibly have to mock you about that involves water fowl? Does your boy friend work in an aviary?"

"Subtlety is not your strong point is it?" Jane muttered shaking her head "No he doesn't work with birds at all. As far as I know he doesn't even like them."

"Well what does he do then? I don't understand why you are hiding this from everyone, I thought people talked to their friends about these things. Are you ashamed of him?" She froze momentarily as something else occurred to her "Are you ashamed of _me_? Do you not want him to meet me?"

"No, that's not it at all. I'm not ashamed of either of you I just didn't want to tell anyone when it first happened because I didn't want the whole station finding out. Then it just kinda became habit not to talk about. If I didn't want you to meet him would I have accepted your ridiculous double date proposition?" Jane pointed out trying to assure her friend.

"Do I at least get to know his name?"

"You gonna tell me what killed her?" Jane said motioning to the forgotten dead body with her head.

Maura gave her friend a dirty look for trying to force her into guessing something she wasn't certain of. Jane's girlish smile and flutter of her eyebrows would have had more effect on a man, but they served their purpose well enough for the situation. She shook her head and finally gave in "There should be more blood, associated with her facial lacerations."

Jane continued staring at her expectantly "There's an e in his name."

Maura turned back to glance at the body before reluctantly continuing "And it looks like, the assault and the rape happened post mortem."

"What? She was raped and beaten after she was killed, so what killed her?"

"I don't know yet." She whimpered, clearly uncomfortable with being forced to guess.

"Well I don't know if I remember any more of his name then. Or if we'll even have time for dinner tonight."

Desperate to find out more and finally get to meet this man Jane had been hiding she responded again "An adrenaline response, to panic, over stressed her heart which was already compromised by diabetes."

"So why rape and beat her while she was dead?"

Maura was running out of answers for Jane so instead she tried to trip her up with something else "Look at this" she said picking up the victim's hand and shining a black light on it.

Jane came closer to examine the illuminated stamp that appeared under the light.

"Merch" she explained "means girl in welsh"

Not quite sure what to make of the finding Jane wondered aloud "Since when do lawyers have club stamps?"

Maura didn't have an answer for that either. "So is 6:30 early enough for you? I want to meet this mysterious boyfriend of yours."

"Yeah we'll be there. I might even introduce you to him." Jane relented as she made her way towards the door "Not that you really need it" she added to herself with a chuckle.

Jane went back up to the bullpen to do her job which left Maura with nothing else to do but finish cleaning up the body and getting it ready to release once the case was over.

Later that night after following a few leads but not making much progress on the case, Jane made sure she was clocked out and home in time to give Joe enough forewarning to get ready for the night out. She had confirmed the location where they'd be meeting and promised not to be late.

However having a long distance boyfriend that you hadn't seen all day and was leaving that night waiting for her at home shifted her priorities a little. Her 'I just need to take a quick show to rinse off the day' suddenly turned into an 'I'll wash your back, you wash mine and while we're in here…' when Joe stepped into the shower behind her and started touching her in all the right places.

He actually had started out innocently enough; he'd picked up his own bottle of body wash and made sure he didn't miss any spots on her body as he washed away the grime of the day, leaving the clean fresh scent he knew she loved in his wake. She'd returned the favor and couldn't help but notice his quite obvious arousal. She'd never been one to deny herself something she wanted so she'd made a comment suggesting certain things and before she knew it she found herself up against the wall and drowning in the intoxicating scent of Joe's body wash lingering in the air.

The cool temperature of the tile wall pressed against her back was a nice contrast to her heated skin as the hot water cascaded over her body. Joe hitched her further up the shower wall drawing a sigh from her as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Their moans echoing together in the small enclosed space. Their slick bodies slipping and sliding against each other under the continuous spray of water. She might have goaded him into this one but he didn't seem too opposed to the idea. She sure wasn't complaining, not when she was so thoroughly surrounded and filled by Joe Grant.

Her lips and tongue were ravishing his skin in a frenzied pattern that echoed his thrusts, she loved the taste of the water on his skin and the race of his pulse beneath her lips. Times like this weren't about being sweet. This was raw and emotional, they'd been away from each other for too long after the morning's insecurities and now they needed to be together, to reconnect and reassure.

He kept one arm around her shoulders as he snaked the other between their bodies, kneading her breast in the palm of his hand. The sharp gasp he drew from her quickly turned into a moan which caused him to release one of his own in response to the beautiful sound it was to his ears. This is what he craved, what he'd trade anything in the world for to never have to give up. Being with Jane, keeping her with him, real raw emotion that ran deep.

The motion of his hips faltered when she bit into his shoulder none too gently, not enough to break skin but there was a distinct possibility there'd be a mark there later. He felt her tense, felt her body vibrating against him. Her attempt to muffle her cries of pleasure were drowned out in the slightly cooling water but combined with the pleasurable pain emanating from where her teeth still met his skin shoved him over the edge.

His legs felt like jello and he was pretty certain he'd fall over his he tried to move so he didn't even bother to make the attempt. Jane couldn't have cared less though, despite the time table they were supposed to be on she was way too relaxed to displace either them from their current positions against the wall. After a few long minutes of heavy breathing and the water turning a few degrees colder she let out a laugh and pushed him away with a smile. "We're so going to be late now."

She forwent washing her hair and they both climbed out of the shower on still shaky legs. Jane slipped into a skirt and casual shirt, dressing down her outfit just enough to fit the atmosphere of the restaurant they were headed to. Joe, having to bring the work suit he arrived in earlier in the week back to Washington with him, dressed in the slacks and shirt he'd arrived in but stuffed the tie in his briefcase along with his laptop.

A mix of Jane's driving skills and a little bit of luck had them arriving at the restaurant only a few minutes late despite the unexpected interlude they'd shared in the shower. He opened the door for her as they walked in and Jane gave them Maura's name. As they followed the woman towards the table already seating the medical examiner and her date, Jane linked their hands together and gave him a reassuring squeeze.

Maura saw the motion of people walking toward their table and diverted her attention away from her conversation with Brock for a second as she took a sip from her water glass. That same sip nearly got spit back out when she realized who exactly was accompanying Jane.

"Oh my God."

Brock regarded her sudden statement with a confused tilt of his head. "What? Did I say something odd?"

Maura silently shook her head and continued watching the pair coming their way. "No, it's nothing, my friend is here." She replied and the duo approached the table.

"Maura, I don't think any introductions are needed here" Jane tilted her head in her friend's direction.

"Dr. Isles" Joe bowed his head to her in greeting.

"Brock this is Joe. Joe, Brock." She introduced the two unfamiliar men.

They changed friendly hand shakes and brief greetings before Joe pulled Jane's chair out for her and he then took his own.

Jane turned to a still stunned Maura smiling a huge grin "Surprised?"

"The word flabbergasted comes to mind, actually." She admitted

"Well I hope it doesn't throw you off too much. He's kinda living at my apartment three days a week so I can't exactly just tell him to scram if you don't approve. Not that I really ever would" she said fondly, smiling at the man across the table from her "I kinda like being stuck with him."

Joe returned the gesture and winked at her playfully. "Right back at ya babe."

Maura couldn't suppress the ridiculous grin their little display brought on. She'd known Jane long enough to see through the seemingly flippant admission to the underlying emotion behind the words and the affection they conveyed. "Well congratulations then. I knew there must be something there with the way that you two butted heads all the time. How did you get around the new job and relocation?"

"Technology is a great thing." He answered "There's a lot of talking on the phone and text messages. I also fly a lot."

"So you're still working with Homeland Security?"

"Yeah, have my own office and everything. I'd offer to show you the badge but I left it in the car." The easy smile that reached his eyes was a subtle difference from the one's she'd remembered from their brief encounters while he'd been homicide's acting Lieutenant but it was definitely for the better. Hearing Jane laugh with amusement instead of derision at something he'd said was a nice change also.

"So you don't work around here then?" Brock finally piped up, feeling left out of the conversation, since it was quite obvious the other three people were already fairly well acquainted.

"No, I'm based down south in Washington D.C. at the DHS headquarters. I just fly up for the weekends to spend some time with my favorite homicide detective."

"And I'm guessing that would be you." Brock said pointing to Jane for confirmation.

"I sure hope so" she laughed "If I'm not then I don't know who could possibly top me to deserve the spot. Nobody else from my squad has made you oatmeal raisin cookies recently have they?"

"They sure haven't, or if they did they certainly didn't share any with me." He slipped his foot out of one shoe then reached out under the table and ran it up the side of one of Jane's legs. "That's what I keep you around for."

"You see what I put up with?" Jane quipped to her best friend "He's gone for 4 out of 7 days a week and when he does come home I get the big kid instead of the manly agent. You still wonder why we butted heads so much?"

Instead of the sympathy Jane had hoped for, her friend simply laughed at their playfulness and shook her head. "You guys deserve each other." She declared "I don't know how you never got together before now, but whatever it was that finally knocked some sense into both your thick skulls I'm grateful for it."

"I think she just called us stubborn babe" Joe remarked to his girl friend "you gonna let her get away with that?"

"Do you really believe we aren't?" Jane shot back "She can't lie remember? It's not exactly fair to punish her if it's the truth."

Conversation was interrupted by their waiter coming around to take their dinner orders. Joe had been to the place before so rattled off an old favorite without even looking at the menu. Jane spared it a quick glance before making her decision as well. They two of them then watched as Maura and Brock flipped through the menus quickly to find what they wanted.

Joe winked at her from across the table again and she rewarded him with a mega-watt smile that lit up her whole face. He was having a lot more fun than he thought he would and Jane seemed to enjoying herself equally as much.

Once the waiter had left with all their orders small talk continued amongst the group all the way through the rest of the evening. Topics varied from time to time as was necessary but there were no awkward silences or blatant attempts to make anyone feel uncomfortable.

At one point Maura pulled Jane away declaring they needed to use the ladies' room and left the two men behind at the table. While their dates were gone Brock felt he'd break the ice and try to keep the light conversation up in their absence.

"So I couldn't help noticing that you already knew Maura when you first got here, have you all known each other long?"

"Yeah you could say that, some of us longer than others." He replied taking a sip of wine "I had the pleasure of working with Maura for sometime at Boston PD when I was still a Lieutenant there. Jane on the other hand I've know since we were kids, we grew up together."

"I thought it might be something like that, you two have that air of familiarity that only seems to come with years of acquaintance. How long have you been together if you don't mind my asking?"

"Officially?"

Brock cocked an intrigued eyebrow up at the question, how many kinds of together were there? "Yeah, or unofficially too if you want to share I suppose."

"Officially about two months, give or take a few weeks." Joe answered cracking a smile. "But it took me nearly 20 years to get her to agree to that. We've kinda been circling each other since high school. That is a much longer story that we don't have time for tonight though, as amusing as it is. The important thing is we're together now despite everything so I really can't complain you know?"

"I guess." He relented, eyes wide "That's a long time to wait for one woman though, was she worth it?"

"Oh hell yeah, every damn second. You don't find girls like her around just anywhere. As much as we torment each other we both know it's all just part of the game. At the end of the day we both know who we're coming home to."

"I can respect that" Brock picked up his glass to toast to that "But doesn't the distance bother you? Washington isn't really that close to Boston."

Joe swirled the wine in his glass before taking another sip "Yeah, of course it bothers me, but I'm not about to make a big deal about it, it's mostly my own fault. My job led me to where I am and I never asked her to follow me so I can't hold it against her for staying where she is. If this is the only way we can really be together it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make, I'd fly back everyday if it were practical. It's not always going to be like this so I'm dealing with it until I either convince her to move with me or I find something back here in Boston."

"So you're not rooted anywhere?"

"Well I have a place in Washington but it's not really home. My job is there but there isn't anything else keeping me in Washington if that changes. All my family and Jane are here in Boston so that's as many roots as any man needs isn't it?"

"Yeah I suppose it is. I don't envy you though, how often do you actually get to see her again?"

Joe heaved a sigh "Thursday nights through Sunday nights. It's hell during the week but there's no better way to spend the weekend."

"In that position no, I wouldn't think there would be. Good luck, you guys seem really happy together."

"Thanks, we got lucky and beat the odds. Best of luck with the Doc, she's an interesting lady."

Before Brock could agree with his assessment the missing women returned from their bathroom break and struck up a new conversation again.

More often than not Jane was actually backing up Joe's statements instead of ridiculing them much to Maura's delight. In fact, as she watched her best friend banter back and forth between the two men at the table she realized that this was a side of Jane she'd very rarely, if ever, been privy to before. This side of her was softer, more prone to laughter and affectionate teasing then the brash hardened detective persona she so often slipped into. There was no trace of the usual steely determination or fiery anger reflecting in her eyes, just the unabashedly amused twinkle of a woman truly enjoying herself. It was an intensely heart warming experience.

At the end of the night Brock and Joe decided they'd split the bill even after Jane's mild protests. Joe decided to placate her by letting her chip in for the tip. As the two men, ever the gentlemen, helped Jane and Maura into their coats and led their respective dates back outside into the cool night air Jane glanced at her watch to check the time. It was getting late and she had to get Joe to the airport soon if he was going to catch his plane back to Washington.

"Alright guys, tonight was fun but unfortunately I have to make sure this trouble maker doesn't miss his flight" Jane poked Joe in the ribs affectionately "we really have to get going."

Joe squirmed away from her gentle prod and retaliated by trapping her, her back firmly against his chest, with both his arms around her waist keeping her in place, not that she was really trying to escape. She felt the rumble of laughter before it reached her ears and the accompanied kiss he left on her cheek. "I am not a trouble maker, stop sullying my good name." he said close to her ear but loud enough for the other couple to hear.

Without hesitation she turned her head and met his lips in a very brief kiss. "Yes you are." She tried to slap away his arms with a giggle "Now come on, I'm not taking responsibility for you missing your flight and missing work tomorrow."

Joe loosened his hold on her and instead settled for holding her hand. "As much as I hate to say it, she's right. We do have to get going."

He extended his other hand out to Brock to shake in farewell "It was nice meeting you." Then turned towards Maura "A pleasure as always Doc. Keep an eye on this one for me while I'm gone will ya?"

"I'll do what I can." She agreed around a bright smile.

"Good, appreciate it. Good night then, enjoy your evening."

Jane added her own farewells to the couple then they made their way back to her car and then on the road to the airport.

Back out in front of the restaurant as Brock and Maura walked back towards his car he made one last remark on the recently departed couple. "Your friend is quite a bit different then how she was in class."

"Yeah" sure agreed with a grin "Somehow they manage to bring out the worst and then the very best in each other."

The closer they came to the now familiar terminals Jane's previously good mood started to slip. They followed what had become their routine procedure for Sunday nights and made their way inside the airport for their familiar parting for the week.

It was getting a little easier for them to walk away from each other knowing it would only be a few days until they would be reunited but it didn't stop them from dreading doing it anyway. Jane waited with him as long as she could this time instead of walking away when he joined the security line and only left his side when he reached the security check. They shared a brief kiss and a hug that got interrupted by a cough from the waiting security guard wanting to check Joe's Id. He flashed his badge and government Id then stepped aside for a second to share a few parting words with Jane.

"I'll call when I get in. Stay safe and tell the Doc I had fun again." He told her with a pained smile "I love you Jane. Until next time"

"Love you too Joey, until later."

She watched as he was ushered along the line and out of sight. The ride back to her apartment was made in silence and even when she walked back in her door aside from the weak greeting to her dog she didn't make much noise at all.

She tried to kill the time before Joe called and she could go to bed by taking Joe Friday out for a much deserved walk by the glow of the streetlights lining the sidewalks but she knew better than to stay outside at night for too long even with the extra protection of the gun resting in its holster on her hip securely hidden by her jacket. So when they walked back in her door and he still hadn't called yet Jane changed into a set of pajamas and fell back on the old standard and flipped on the TV to try to find anything even half decent to watch.

Jane was half asleep leaning against the arm of her couch when she finally got the call she'd been waiting for. "Rizzoli" she yawned into her phone

"Go to bed baby" Joe's voice greeted her "I made it back alright."

"Hm m'okay, thanks for coming to dinner with me tonight, I think it was a success." She mumbled as she got up and trudged to her bed.

"It was my pleasure babe, maybe we can do it again sometime, but right now you have to go to bed and get some sleep so you can finish your case tomorrow."

Crawling into bed Jane let out another yawn and settled herself in between the sheets "Don't hafta tell me twice."

"Good night Jane, I love you."

"Mm, love you Joey, miss you." She hung up her phone and exchanged it for the tiger sitting on her nightstand before drifting off for the night.

* * *

The next morning Jane met Maura on the street right out in front of the precinct.

"Now do you understand why I didn't want to let a lot of people know who I've been seeing? I don't need any rumors flying around the station about sleeping with the boss. They won't care that we didn't even get together until _after_ he left."

"I can understand the necessity for a certain amount of anonymity in this case. But you have to admit that this wasn't a complete surprise. You two really are perfectly suited to one another. I just wasn't expecting to actually see the reality of it up close last night." Maura replied.

"You're not mad at me for not telling you sooner are you?" Jane questioned, weary of hurting her friend's feelings.

"Well I'm not exactly happy about it. I would have liked for you to have told me without me having to drag it out of you, but otherwise no, I'm not really mad. I'm an extremely rational person, I can understand your desire for privacy concerning your love life. Though I would like to request you not wait so long next time in telling me, if this type of thing happens again. But I'm actually quite glad you finally saw what everyone else who looked at you two saw. The potential for happiness was so enormous it was a little childish that you so vehemently refused the obvious attraction."

"Thanks? Somehow I think you just managed to congratulate and insult me in the same sentence."

"It's called eloquence Jane, you should try it sometime."

"Alright I know_ that_ wasn't a compliment, enough from the peanut gallery. Now you know, and I would appreciate it if you kept it to yourself until I'm ready to tell everyone else. Korsak already figured it out on his own but Frost is still pretty clueless and I'd like to keep it that way for the moment."

"Wait is that what the duck is all about?" Maura suddenly burst out "The red white and blue ribbon and the name refer to Washington right?"

"Yeah. And ducks fly…"

"South for the winter" Maura filled in the end of the thought.

"You really are a genius aren't you?" She winked at her friend.

"My lips are sealed, I promise." Maura mimed locking her lips closed.

Jane ushered her friend into the building ahead of her "Thank you; now let's get to work so I can close this case already."

They parted ways and Jane got down to business working on the open case. Not too long after she'd walked in Korsak came in to the bullpen carrying a vase of flowers "Somebody's got a boyfriend" he sing songed all the way to her desk.

"Someone should mind their own business" she mocked back in the same annoying high pitched voice.

He set the vase down on the table and grabbed the attached note to hold up to his head pretending to mind read it without opening the little envelope.

"Wha-No!" Jane futilely tried to stop him

"Your eyes are poooools of midnight." Jane lunged at him in an attempt to get the note from his grasp "Come on"

Korsak backed away from her reach only to have Frost grab the envelope from his hands. "Your liiiiips, are like temperpedic pillows."

"Really?" she whined as she fought her partner to get the piece of paper from his hands as he laughed at her, finally getting it after a few failed attempts.

She opened the card and read the sentiment inside to herself, breaking out in a smile.

"What's it say?" Frost demanded curiously, laugh dying down when she didn't read it out loud.

"Quack, quack quack." She responded smugly.

Korsak, who had been watching the exchange from his desk, broke down laughing almost immediately.

"What? That's really what it says?" her unbelieving partner asked.

"Have you figured out what the duck means yet?"

"No, but now I'm really curious."

"Guess you'll never know then will you."

"Can't you just tell me? Korsak already knows so it can't be that big of a secret." He tried to reason with her.

Content with knocking Frost back on his ass Jane rounded the desks to sit back down in her own. "And deprive you of the opportunity to use those sharp as a tack detective skills? I don't think so. Let me know when those background checks come in so we can get back on this case."

Later that day while interviewing the bartender from the club their victim had last been seen at Jane walked out of the interrogation room to find Maura waiting in the hallway with a bag in her hands.

"What is so important?" She asked annoyed for being interrupted and shooting the large bag a suspiciously dirty look.

" for you arranged to have this dropped off for you." Maura explained "I promised I would make sure you got it." She added with a delightful smile.

"Thanks, just leave it on my desk" When Jane turned around to go back Maura stopped her retreat.

"That's not why I interrupted you." She admitted "I extracted the killer's DNA from the murder weapon."

"Who is he?"

Maura turned her head to watch the detained man currently waiting in the interview room "Well there was no match in CODIS…but it's not a he. It's a she."

"The killer's a woman?" Jane asked unbelieving

Maura tilted her head in a brief gesture and gave her a stiff smile as if to say 'hey it's just what the evidence told me'

Back at Jane's desk after Maura explained her findings Jane was surprised to find another unexpected package waiting for her. She opened the white bag from a bakery across town and pulled out a handful of chocolate covered pretzels wrapped in wax paper.

Maura didn't understand the blush that suddenly colored her friend's cheeks but she did accept one of the chocolate covered confections when Jane offered her one. "Is this one of those things that makes sense to you and nobody else?"

"Something like that." She nodded fumbling for her phone to write a quick text message "It's called an inside joke."

Jane took a few moments to type out her message and sent it off to Joe.

Several hundred miles away Joe's phone alerted him to a new text message. Absently he checked the sender and cracked a smile when he saw it was from Jane. The message was short but it left him laughing. **I love you, but I will repeat this once again, you are EVIL. **

He paused in his typing to send a response back then got back to work writing a report.

Jane checked her phone to read the message a few moments later **I take it you got your surprises then? What fun would lunch be without a little bit of dessert? **

She formulated an appropriate response and typed it out to send back.

Joe checked his phone again when he paused typing to read her words back **I loved the flowers and lunch but that particular kind of dessert is not exactly work friendly and you're too far away to enjoy it with me **

He frowned at the unhappy face that ended her message, but there wasn't really much he could do about it. So he tapped out another message and sent it to her.

The beep indicating Joe had responded again led Jane to check the new message on her phone. **Only 3 more days until Thursday, then we'll skip all other meals and go straight to dessert for as long as we want. **

The implications of that little comment had her blood suddenly pumping faster and seemingly a few degrees warmer. He was not playing fair at all and she couldn't even do anything about it at the moment since she was in a very public place and should really be paying more attention to the murder case than anything else. She had one final message for him before diving back into the investigation.

Joe's phone alerted him to yet another message that made him chuckle. **You're mean. 3 days and I'm jumping you as soon as we're behind closed doors.**

One last message to Jane seemed like it would be sufficient for this exchange so he wrote it out then immersed himself in his work.

Jane pushed the button to open the text message and grinned at his words. **Love you too baby, I can't wait. It's going to be the best birthday ever. **

At the mention of his birthday she scribbled a note reminding herself to call Patrick later that night to confirm plans for her trip. If he didn't do his part the whole weekend would need to be scrapped.

Eventually she did get back to the case and unfortunately for her, Frost and Korsak seemed to think that she would be the perfect bait for a little bit of undercover work to try to draw out the killer. She wasn't at all in favor of putting herself out on a gay dating website but she didn't seem to have much of a say in the matter ultimately. Without her knowledge Maura, Frost and Korsak set up her profile for her and posted it to one of the websites the victim had frequented.

Maura had followed her friend back to her apartment upon her request at the end of the night.

"So I was hoping that you wouldn't mind doing me a favor this weekend." Jane started off, handing her companion a glass of wine.

"What kind of favor?"

"I'm flying down to surprise Joe for his birthday on Thursday; do you think you can watch my dog for me?"

As if summoned, the little beast in question hopped up on to the sofa next to them. Maura set her glass down on the coffee table to pet the little dog. "Sure, I would love to. On one condition."

Jane gave her friend a weary glance "And that would be?"

"I want to know more about you and Joe. You can't really expect me to just accept this without asking at least a few questions can you?" She met Jane's eyes expectantly "I know you have to have a few good stories you can share with me, call it retribution for keeping the secret from me for so long."

Jane took a big gulp of wine before settling it on the table in front of her and crossing her arms defensively in front of her "Ok, what do you want to know?"

"Let's start out with something simple, when was your first kiss?"

"Technically, we were 13. But I think what you're actually referring to would be the night he got the job offer. Do you remember that Voodoo case with the 15 year old kid with the purple flowers?"

"The monkshood?"

"That's the one" Jane confirmed "he was waiting for me outside in the rain on my stoop after that case."

"Well that answers my next question then of who approached who first. How about your first real date? Was it before or after the flowers and candy?"

Jane took a second to think back "After. We went out for Italian then to a jazz club. He gave me this" she pulled a silver chain that had been hidden under her shirt out and away from her neck for Maura to see "before we left."

Maura studied the Saint Michael charm hanging off the chain intently "Patron saint of law enforcement." She muttered softly "That was extremely thoughtful of him."

"Yeah, under that rough, tough guy, political animal act he does so well he's a good guy. He always has been. Even when we were younger, despite his penchant for annoying the hell out of me I could always trust him to do the right thing when it really counted."

"How so?" Maura tilted her head curiously.

"When I was 16 my grandpa on my Ma's side got really sick and died of cancer. We were really close and I didn't take his death very well. When my parents first told me about it I was so mad we got in a huge fight and I punched my wall really hard then broke down and ran out of the house in a fit, not really sure where I was headed. It just so happened that the closest friend to my house at the time happened to be Nikki, Joe's older sister. We played field hockey together for years so we were pretty close and they lived down the street from me so I wound up on their doorstep. When I knocked on their door nobody answered, they were all out for some reason or another, I can't even remember now, so I ended up just sitting outside their house on their porch swing and sobbing because I didn't want to go back home and face everything. While I'm sitting there balling my eyes out Joe came home from baseball practice and found me.

_A sixteen year old Joe Grant was tired and in desperate need of a shower after practice as he walked up to his house. He stopped abruptly in his tracks when he noticed the lump sitting on the porch swing beside the door. If the distressed noises coming from the figure were any indication then we knew something must have been terribly wrong with whoever it was. Taking a few more cautious steps closer revealed the lump to be none other than Jane Rizzoli. He shuffled up the few stairs and dropped his bag by the door before approaching the clearly upset girl. _

"_Janie? Are you ok?" _

_She was too upset to even snap at him for the stupid nick name "Does it look like I'm ok? Do you know where Nikki is? I need to talk to her." She did her best to staunch the flow of tears coming from her eyes and regain some composure but it was harder than she thought it would be._

"_She was supposed to take Maggie out tonight since my parents are out of town for a few days. I don't know when she'll be back. You wanna come inside and wait for her?" He made a small sideways motion to the door to invite her in._

_Jane rubbed the tears from eyes and wiped her face dry on the sleeve of her t-shirt "I don't know if that's really the best idea, I don't wanna get in the way." _

_Joe made a show of looking around for anyone else "Looks like it's just the two of us, I don't think that really counts as being in the way. Come on, you look pathetic sittin' out here all by yourself, at least come inside and sit on the couch or something." _

"_Anyone ever told you you're an asshole Joey? I don't want to deal with your shit right now, I'm having a bad enough day as it is. I just wanted someone to talk to but I clearly came to the wrong place." She made to get up and leave but Joe thwarted her escape by grabbing her wrist._

"_Hey now, no need to get pissy with me, I may not be my sister but I have ears and a mouth that work just fine. If your day was really that bad that you had to runaway to my house then you shouldn't be alone. I know you think I'm an asshole but I have a heart too you know. " _

_She let out a clipped painful hiss when his hand brushed her hers so he brought her injured appendage closer to his face to examine. "Now I'm really not letting you go, what the hell did you do to yourself Rizzoli?"_

_She made a feeble attempt of pulling her hand away from his scrutiny but he tightened his hold on her wrist, not enough to hurt but forceful enough to deter any more escape efforts. Eventually she gave in and answered his question "Punched a wall."_

_He gave her a surprised look to which she just shrugged "I told you I was having a bad day." _

"_Alright, get inside. We're cleaning that monstrosity up then you're telling me about this bad day whether you like it or not." _

_Reluctantly she complied with his orders and followed him inside. He led her into the closest bathroom to rinse out the raw skin of her wounded knuckles and wipe away the small specks of blood that leaked through the broken skin. He wrapped her hand in some medical tape and gave her two Tylenol for the pain that he knew she must be feeling but wasn't telling him about. _

_After her hand was taken care of he led her back to the couch with an icepack to put over her knuckles and told her to sit down. She settled on one end of the couch and he sat down halfway between her and the other end. "Ok spill, what's wrong and why did you find it necessary to punch a wall?"_

_Against her better judgment she told him everything, breaking down again as the reality of her beloved grandfather's death finally sank in. He didn't mock or tease her as she'd thought he would, in fact after a particularly intense wave of sobs wracked her body he slid over enough to hold her in his arms and whisper hushed words of comfort into her hair._

_She had no idea how long she spent wrapped up in his arms crying her eyes out but eventually she'd exhausted herself and actually cried herself to sleep. When he realized her tears had died down and her breathing became more normal he was surprised to find her asleep in his arms. He picked her up and brought her upstairs to settle her on his bed so she could get some much needed sleep. He bent over and brushed a kiss to her forehead and whispered "I'm so sorry Janie" to her unconscious form. Before he could step away from her she stirred unexpectedly and reached out in her half dazed state to timidly pull him back to her by his shirt. He ended up rearranging the pillows until he was sideways across the bed, leaning back against the wall with Jane's head nestled in his lap while he gently rubbed her back. _

"The next day Nikki told me when she had come home later that night she nearly had a heart attack when she opened the door to Joe's room and found him quietly reading with me still conked out in his lap. Apparently he didn't want to disturb me in case I woke up and freaked out again. Needless to say I ended up spending the night at their house after Joe explained the situation and Nikki called my house and told my parents where I was."

"He did something like that for you and you still weren't convinced there was something between you two?"

Jane waved a dismissive hand at her friend "I never said there wasn't any chemistry, I'm pretty sure I said that he was an annoying asshole and he used to make my life hell. You can be attracted to someone and not like them. I mean there were plenty of times we _could_ have gotten together if we had both wanted it, but he was just that guy that you hated to love and loved to hate you know?"

"No, not really. My experiences with men never quite reached that stage. I had an awkward childhood, I didn't interact with people the same way you did."

"You trying to say you never did something crazy with a guy just for fun? Because that's the majority of what happened between Joe and I. We pulled the stupidest stunts we could think of to try to tick each other off whenever we had spare time. Joe had some pretty creative ideas sometimes but I always got him back somehow."

"No, I can't say that I did _anything_ crazy growing up. My parent's wouldn't have approved."

"Well you missed out then" she laughed "because it's those kinds of things that make life interesting. Even when we were being mean to each other it was still usually pretty fun."

"What do you mean? Isn't being mean to someone generally an unpleasant experience?" Maura asked confused by Jane's amusement.

"Not if you do it the way we did."

"Please explain."

"Ok well I guess the best instance I can think of was back in high school once again. During the summer he'd essentially gotten me chased and stung by a bunch of yellow jackets so I came up with his brilliant plan to repay the aggravation by giving him a really bad case of poison ivy.

_A teenaged Jane casually leaned against the fence surrounding the secluded basketball courts of their local park as she watched the group of guys currently occupying the space finish up a late game of hoops. Though she knew all of the players to some degree her eyes followed the moves of one guy in particular. When he tossed up the ball for the winning basket and the group of boys started dispersing for the night after the game had concluded she stayed in the shadows until her target was mostly alone. _

_The unexpected clapping from the sidelines drew Joe's attention away from the conversation he'd been having with his friend that had lingered around and had him looking around to locate the source. When he saw Jane walking towards him he turned back to his friend and exchanged a quick good bye with him before shooing him away and he flashed her a cocky grin "Well, well, well, look who it is. Have you recovered from those little bug bites of yours Janie?" _

"_Yellow jackets don't bite Joey, they _sting. _And yes, I have thanks so much for asking." She replied snidely as she stalked closer to him. _

"_Good to hear. So what brings you out to my neck of the woods this lovely evening? Come to see how the big boys play ball?" _

"_Hardly. I came to see if you'd be interested in playing a little game with me." _

_The concept intrigued him immensely; it was a rare thing for Jane to come seeking him out for anything, let alone to play a game. "What kinda game did you have in mind? I don't play hopscotch." _

"_That's good to know" she smiled at him sweetly "neither do I"_

"_Ok so what do you want to do then?" He asked her, balancing his basketball under his arm against his hip. _

"_How about a game of horse…with a few special rules?" _

"_What sort of special rules did you have in mind? I won't go easy on you just because you're a girl."_

"_I never thought you would, in fact I'm hoping you don't. We'll stick to the basic standard rules of the game, one person picks their shot and if the other person makes it they pick again and so forth until they miss. The fun part comes when the other person misses their shot. For every missed shot instead of getting a letter, they have to take off an article of clothing." She explained grabbing the ball from its resting place and bouncing it a few times "The game ends when one of us runs out of things to take off. What do you say?" _

_Joe's eyes darkened a few shades as he thought of the possibilities her game could lead to. There was no way she could possibly beat him and he definitely was not going to pass up a chance to see Jane Rizzoli strip for him. "You're on. I'll even be a gentleman and give you first shot." _

"_You sure you want to do that? This is your last chance to back out." She warned. _

"_Bring it on Janie, let me see what you've got." _

_The triumphant smile she shot him made him falter for just a second but he recovered quickly and stood beside the net to catch the ball as she lined up her first shot._

_Half a dozen shots in and he had already lost his sweat shirt and hat, then as his next shot bounced off the rim and out of the net he reluctantly pulled his t-shirt off as well. Jane was still fully clothed and smirking at him. "What's the matter Joey? You said you wouldn't go easy on me but I can't help but notice you're the only one missing here." _

_As she lined up her next shot he walked up right behind her and whispered in her ear "Don't miss Janie" _

_His distraction worked like a charm. Her shot went wide and bounced off the backboard not even skimming the net. _

"_Oh what a shame" he teased as he lined up the same shot and swished the ball through the hoop. _

_Jane unzipped her sweatshirt and threw it off to the side. "No cheating Grant, unless you want a taste of your own medicine." _

"_I don't cheat, I strategize very carefully." He defended himself before he took another shot. "Your shot Rizzoli"_

"_Is that what that was?" She took the shot and made it in before tossing the ball back to him. "Strategy?"_

"_Yeah, you find your opponents weakness and play on it." Joe smirked at her. _

"_Oh really?" Jane drawled in a low husky voice "I'll have to try that sometime." _

"_Good luck trying to figure mine out, not everyone is as transparent as you are." _

"_Don't worry about me Joey, you just keep shooting." She assured him "I can take care of myself"_

_When she deliberately missed the next 4 shots in a row he had a feeling her strategy was somewhat similar to his own. She now stood before him in little more than her sneakers, a pair of tiny cotton shorts and her bra, having shed her rip away athletic pants, shirt and both socks in rapid succession. _

"_Rizzoli I'm not quite sure you understand the concept of this game anymore, you're supposed to get the ball in the hoop not bounce it off the backboard." He mocked, glancing at her before lining up his next shot. _

_She unexpectedly bent over to tie her shoe and gave him a clear view of her barely covered chest. His shot was so far off mark it didn't even come close to the net._

"_You have your strategy" she purred in his ear after collecting the wayward ball to make the shot "I have mine." _

_The shot cost him a sock, which was a small enough sacrifice but when she pulled similar stunts the next two shots in a row he lost more than just his socks. _

_Jane watched as his shorts joined the pile of his discarded clothes leaving him standing before her in nothing but his boxers and sneakers. "You ready to give up Joey? You don't have much more to lose." She taunted, bouncing the ball for her next shot. "We can call it a draw if it'll make you feel better. I wouldn't want to wound that ego of yours by making you lose to a girl."_

"_You haven't beaten me yet Rizzoli." He reminded her "take your shot."_

_She did and not surprisingly it went in, as did his when she passed the ball back to him. _

_They stalemated for the next four shots, each matching the previous swish of the net. Then the unthinkable happened and Joe missed his shot. _

_While Jane was waiting for Joe to shed his final piece of clothing with a huge smirk on her face, they heard the distinct sound of a car pulling up in the parking lot next to the courts and they both froze. _

_By the time the car door opened and the officer inside stepped out they had both grabbed their little pile of discarded clothes and made a break for the woods, hoping they would be obscured in the shadows of the trees. They had absolutely no desires to be caught half naked in the middle of the night in a public park. _

_Jane led the way, having just the slightest advantage over Joe in the speed department. She directed them to a patch of trees she knew where fairly close to a huge thicket of poison ivy and took cover behind a trunk. She pulled Joe behind the same tree and they ended up huddled together, Jane's back up against the tree and Joe's chest firmly pressed to hers, arms on either side of her waist pinning her to the tree and clothes dropped unceremoniously at her feet.. _

_He kept his head just off to the side of her own and breathed in deep lung fulls of lavender scented air for a few tense moments while they waited for any sign that they had been pursued. When a few minutes had passed and the park remained silent she whispered in his ear "Time to lose the shorts Joey. I won fair and square."_

_When he didn't move to discard the article of clothing himself she also dropped her discarded clothes at her feet and started tugging the fabric down herself with both hands. She didn't look down as she worked the shorts lower over his hips but she felt the effect her little stunt had on him pressed into her bare stomach. When the fabric finally pooled around his ankles she meet his eye to find them darkened several shades with lust and desire, she leaned in just close enough that her lips just barely brushed his as she spoke "Pay back's a bitch Joey." _

_Then catching him completely by surprise she shoved him forcefully back away from her towards the thicket of poison ivy. He stumbled backwards a few steps then lost his balance and tumbled into the abundance of three leafed plants, thoroughly covering himself with their itchy oil secretions. By the time he realized what happened she had thrown on her sweatshirt and was running back out of the woods laughing. He looked around frantically for his clothes and realized to his utter horror that she had taken them with her._

"You left him in the woods completely naked?" Maura asked in shock.

"He had shoes." Jane pointed out with a laugh "And I left a trail of most of his stuff from the clearing of the woods back to the parking lot so he didn't have to try to make it all the way back to his house naked. As funny as it would have been to see him get arrested for public nudity or indecent exposure, even I thought that was going a little too far."

"What do you mean _most_ of his clothes?"

"I might have kept a souvenir from the experience in the form of his boxers but he had it coming. I gave everything else back. After I washed those boxers they actually became some of my favorite pajamas, they were great in the summer when it was too warm to wear long pants."

"So you guys kissed when you were 13, he let you cry on his shoulder, you stole his underwear and wore it for pajamas when you were teenagers and yet you still denied an attraction to him until 2 months ago? Did you guys somehow completely ignore each other between then and now or were you just incredibly obstinate and unreasonable?"

"Oh we spent a few years apart after high school but we managed to find ourselves in the same place again in the Academy and then again a few years later in the Narcotics unit. But that was way before you got here, back before I even worked my way into homicide."

Maura shook her head unbelievably "Did you have any encounters then too?"

"Oh yeah, there were a few over the years but we had a lot more stuff to distract us from each other by that point, our jobs always came first to both of us so we were a lot more subtle about things and encounters became fewer and farther apart. We still annoyed each other but it was usually just easier for me to avoid him then have to deal with it all again."

"Which then led you to the point of denying any attraction and being extremely perverse, I get it."

Jane crinkled her nose in distaste at her remark "It sounds a lot worse than it really was when you say it like that."

Maura picked up her wine glass again to take a sip from the dark red liquid "But that's the way you two were when I first met him. Obviously things have changed now, and I must say I much prefer this side of your relationship than when you were quarreling like small children."

"Thanks , is that enough dirt on my relationship for you yet? I told you more than most people will ever hear." Jane asked wearily, the long day was starting to catch up with her.

"I suppose that was good enough for the favor you asked." Maura agreed "Oh will you need me to feed your tortoise as well?"

"If it means anymore stories tonight then no, little Yurtle can fend for himself."

"Jane you're a terrible tortoise caretaker for even suggesting that." Maura scolded "I'll bring him and Joe to my apartment to make sure they get the proper care they deserve."

She thought about what she said for a second when a question suddenly popped in her head "Does it get weird having a significant other and a dog that share the same name?"

"Not really, Joe just calls her Friday when he's here and she doesn't seem to mind." Jane patted the little dog on the head "Actually I'm pretty sure the little turn coat likes him better than me. She's always snuggled up next to him when I come home in the evening when he's around."

"Can you really blame her?" Maura asked her friend smiling sweetly "I'm sure that's where'd you'd be if you didn't have to go to work."

Jane blushed and took another gulp of wine "Totally not the point."

Unbeknownst to the pair of friends, their little ploy from earlier in the day of creating Jane's profile on the dating website hadn't gone unnoticed; in fact it had raised a red flag in Joe Grant's pre-set security monitoring system on his computer. He'd set it up the first week on the job, programmed to monitor the names and activity of Jane and his closest family members on the web as an extra security measure so he could keep an eye on them and free of identity theft or computer hackers. When he checked his e-mail later that night and saw the alert, he didn't know quite what to think. It must have been a mistake, or someone just using her name, she wouldn't really join a gay dating website would she?

He decided something that far out of the ordinary warranted a call to check up on her, he hadn't had his nightly fix of her yet anyway so he pressed the familiar speed dial and waited for her to pick up.

"Rizzoli" She picked up on the third ring.

"Hey babe, is there something that you want to tell me?"

"Uhh…" she shot an uncertain glance in Maura's direction "nothing in particular that I can think of. Why? Is there something I should be telling you?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe why you've suddenly decided you're gay and want to pick up women from a dating website? Celticsgirl101 is a pretty ambiguous name but I thought you understood me when I said I don't want to lose you to anyone, that extends to women too babe. I know that's like every red blooded man's dream but I don't want to have to share you with anyone."

Jane excused herself from the room and stepped outside into the cool night air to finish this particular conversation. "Aw Joey, I promise you have absolutely nothing to worry about on that front. I don't even want to know how you found out about that but it's just a set up for our case. You know the one that I got called in for yesterday? Turns out our victim was a lesbian and cheating on her wife with people from that website. Frost and Korsak got it in their heads that since I sort of somewhat resemble the dead woman the best way to draw out her killer is to set up a profile and hope she goes for me. It wasn't my idea, and they made the whole thing without me even being there. I actually flat out said no and they still went over my head."

Joe let out a relived sigh "I was hoping it was something like that, I just had to make sure. Sometimes having high level clearance access to certain information turns out to be more trouble than it's really worth."

"For things like that, yeah I'd think so. Don't worry, I have no plans to run off with some random woman from a dating website when I have you ready and willing to satisfy all my needs."

"That's music to my ears baby. So besides your inadvertent sexual orientation flip how's your case going?"

She filled him in on the rest of what they knew and there plans for tomorrow night to essentially speed date through all the potential suspects while they collect DNA to match to their killer's profile. They spent a few minutes discussing his day before she reluctantly told her she should be going since Maura was over and she'd left her sitting in her living room to talk to him. He seemed ok with the idea since the main reason for his call had been accomplished already anyway. They exchanged their usual parting words and she promised to call him tomorrow and tell him how her "dates" turned out.

When she walked back inside Maura was up and taking a closer look at some things around the room that hadn't been there before Joe moved his stuff in. "Interesting."

"What? My furniture? It's the same it's always been." Jane replied.

"Not the new editions to your furniture. I find it fascinating how well his things mesh with your own."

"Oh please, I'm too tired for anymore of that tonight." She retreated into her bedroom to flop down on her bed and Maura followed her.

"What was that call about? It was Joe wasn't it?"

"Yeah, he found out about the whole gay dating website thing from work somehow and wanted to talk about it."

"Frost and Korsak wanted to fill out your dating profile" Maura informed her while they were on the subject "I typed."

"You what?"

"If it wasn't for me you'd be butch." She defended.

Jane sat up in bed "You _helped_ them put my photo and profile on a gay dating website and didn't think it was a bad idea?"

"It's your best shot of getting DNA and breaking this case." Maura tried to explain as she brought Jane's laptop over to the bed with her.

"No, it's _our_ best shot, you're going with me." Jane demanded.

"No."

Jane fell back on her pillows and rubbed her eyes "Yes , I don't have time to train a female detective how to collect and preserve DNA. You're going."

Maura held up a finger to halt Jane's rant as she logged on to Jane's account "There look, all these women think you're hot."

"I don't care Maura, did you miss the part about me already being attached to a _man_? You realize that any one of these women could be our killer don't you?"

"But not this one" Maura said turning the screen to show a picture and message from someone with the handle 'Wickedcool1982' "Listen, she likes to hike, has season tickets to the Celtics."

Despite her earlier protest that caught Jane's attention so she sat up to actually read the message. "Front row? I might be willing to flip for that." She considered it for another second before amending her statement "Well maybe bi, I'd miss Joe too much to straight up flip."

They scanned thru another few messages before closing the lap top down for the night. "I wonder kind of women we would like if we _liked_ women." Maura pondered out loud.

"What? What does it even matter? Neither of us bat for the other team so it doesn't make a difference."

"This whole case just makes me wonder you know?"

Feeling that Maura was not going to let the topic go Jane caved in "Well first of all, I would be the guy."

"That's a cliché." Maura rolled her head to the side to focus on Jane "Why would you be the guy?"

"Because…"

"Because you're bossy?" Maura filled in for her.

"So are you." Jane shot back immediately.

"No I'm not." She denied the accusation.

"Yes you are, you're just soft and polite when you're bossing people around. You still do it." Jane emphasized

"Well it's a good thing you're not my type then."

"That's fine with me; I don't want to be _any_ woman's type. I don't think I could ever really be happy dating a chick, we over analyze things too much and make a big deal over stupid things. Joe's so much simpler to understand, he actually lets me know when something's on his mind and he doesn't care when I'm bossy because he knows 9 out of 10 times he's going to profit from my bossiness anyway. Plus he already walks my dog for me, what more can I ask of the guy?"

"Amen to that." Maura agreed "But I'm sure dating women has its benefits also."

Jane gave her a skeptical look as she settled her head on her pillows.

"I'm not suggesting _I_ know what they are, but there wouldn't be so many lesbians in the world if there weren't some perks right?"

"Logic doesn't apply to human emotion Maura; it's a constantly changing variable." She said closing her eyes to prepare for sleep.

"Listen to you, delving into the philosophical" her friend teased, settling herself in bed beside Jane "Joe must really be a good influence on you."

Jane scoffed at the idea and cracked an eye open to see Maura with her eyes closed lying next to her. "What are you doing?"

"Meditating. It's too stressful to argue with you."

"Well just think" Jane started "Because of you, by this time tomorrow I could on a date with a killer."

Maura shot her a stern look and Jane cracked her eyes open again to catch a flash of it "Yaaaaaaay" she added just to make Maura feel even worse.

* * *

They both ended up drifting off to sleep and didn't even realize it until the next morning when they were woken up by Joe Friday's barks.

After checking the website again for any new responses Maura climbed out of bed to check Jane's closet to find a suitable outfit for Jane to wear for the undercover operation.

"Uh oh." She said alarming as still drowsy Jane.

"What?"

"Now I understand why you always look like this."

Jane took offense to that "Excuse me?"

"You have nothing to wear." Maura riffled through the clothes hanging in her closet, pausing momentarily when she reached Joe's small collection and letting a gentle smile grace her lips "He's everywhere isn't he?"

"Who?" Jane asked rubbing her eyes to wake herself up.

"You know who, his stuff is in your closet Jane."

"Um yeah" she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world "Joe usually does have to wear clothes when he comes here, what's the big deal?"

"I just think it's sweet, that's all."

"I'll be sure to alert the media." She snarked, not in any mood to play nicely so early in the morning before she'd had her coffee.

Maura gave her a curious look "You're usually already caffeinated when you get into the office in the morning aren't you?"

"With at least one cup, yes."

"I thought so." She frowned "You're not much of a morning person."

Jane mumbled something very uncomplimentary under her breath about Maura and morning people in general then got ready for work.

After a bit of fussing on Maura's part about Jane not being appropriately dressed for the part and pointing out some obvious differences in their personalities, they all headed over to the club to set up.

The actual operation ran as about as smoothly as can be expected, Jane managed to keep the awkward level down long enough to make it through all the girls that had responded to her but they struck out with every sample they managed to collect.

When she called Joe for their daily chat after she'd given up for the night, they spent a good hour or two on the phone laughing about the experience.

* * *

The next morning, following a hunch dealing with the victim's insulin pump they managed to unravel the truth about the conspiracy between the club owner and the wife. They closed the case just in time for Jane to be able to make a clean escape the next day just as she'd planned. That afternoon she finally called Patrick to make sure he was till on board with their plans and he happily reported that she had nothing to worry about and that everything was being taken care of.

Calling it an early day after such an overwhelming case, Jane retreated back to her apartment to kick back and relax. She was officially off the clock until Monday morning as of the moment she'd stepped foot out of the doors of the precinct, so when her cell phone rang in the late afternoon she didn't really know what to expect, it wasn't going to be work related. What she got on the other hand, was far stranger than anything she would have suspected.

"Rizzoli" she answered her phone from the unfamiliar Boston number.

"Um, hi Jane" a timid voice greeted her "I know you're probably busy but do you have a second to talk?"

"Maggie?" Jane placed the voice with a name "Is everything alright? I'm actually off for the rest of the day so I can talk all you need. What's wrong? Are you in trouble? Do you need me to come pick you up somewhere?"

"No, nothing like that." She reassured her swiftly "I just finished my classes for the day; I'm fine, not in any trouble. I just have a question to ask you."

"Oh ok" she exhaled a deep sigh of relief "What's up? I can't promise I'll be able to give you a good answer depending on the question but I can try to help anyway."

"Well…" she paused momentarily, building up her courage to say something "Are you gay?"

Jane's eyes widened in astonishment, she thought she was done with that whole business. "Just curious, but why do you want to know? Your brother didn't put you up to this did he?"

"No." Maggie denied uneasily "I just…want to know."

Jane was silent for a moment as the implications of that statement really sunk in. If Joe hadn't told her about the under cover operation then the only other way she would have gotten that idea was…oh God, it all suddenly made sense. She'd been so distracted with the case she hadn't taken her profile down off that website yet. The puzzle pieces of _why_ Maggie had been acting so strange finally all fell into place.

Trying to put it as gently as she could, recalling the blushes and odd behavior the younger woman had displayed around her, Jane finally answered. "No Maggie, I'm not."

"Ok. It's just that…I was on this website….and there was this woman who looked exactly like you…I just wanted to uh, double check…it must be someone else." She stuttered out

Jane softened her voice to a low soothing tone "Maggie, I'm going to explain something to you and when I'm done I'm going to ask you a question, you don't have to answer it if you feel uncomfortable but please at least give it a shot ok?"

"Are you going to ask what I think you're going to ask?"

"Possibly, are you going to let me explain first?"

"I think already know what you're going to say." Maggie said quietly.

"Then you know there's not really an easy way to make this clear other than to just say it…I love your brother. I'm _in love_ with your brother." Jane paused for a second to let those words sink in before she continued "That woman you saw on the website was me, but it was only up there for an under cover operation for my last case. I haven't had a chance to take the profile down yet because we just closed the case this morning."

"Ok" Maggie nearly whispered into the phone.

"Now comes the part where I ask you the question ok?" When she didn't hear any objection Jane continued on "Have you told your family yet?"

There was a stretch of silence so long Jane thought maybe Maggie had hung up on her.

Finally Jane heard her timid response from the other line "No, I'm scared to."

"It doesn't change who you are Maggie, you're still their little girl. You're still Nikki and Joey's kid sister whether you are attracted to boys or girls. They love you, I love you too and we aren't going to abandon you just because you're different."

"But, the church and the bible say..."

"I don't care what any book says; Joe and Nikki won't care either. It may take some time for your parents to get used to the idea but they'll come around. It's not a choice you can make, it's just who you are inside. I stopped believing the Catholic Church's word as being absolute a long time ago for my own personal reasons and there's no reason that you can't accept that to a certain extent also and still live a happy life. You have a family who loves you Maggie, and friends that care about you. They're worried about you, they've noticed your change in behavior and they want to be able to help you, to make you feel better, but they won't know how to do that if you don't tell them what's bothering you. You don't have to tell them this very instant or even anytime this week; just think about how much easier it will be for you when you finally let them know and decide what you think is best from there."

There was the distinct possibility the faint sniffles she heard over the line were from Maggie crying but she couldn't do anything more to comfort her over the phone. A voice weighed down by tears floated over the line again "Will you…will you come with me when I tell them?"

Jane's heart twisted painfully in her chest in response to the insecurity seeping from the voice of the frightened girl on the other end of the line. "If you want me to, I will. I don't know how much help I can really be, but if it will make it easier for you then I'll do whatever I can. I won't be here this weekend, but after that all you have to do is call me and tell me a day and time."

Maggie tried to muffle her whimpers so Jane wouldn't hear them but they traveled over the line despite her efforts.

"I can't love you like you might want me to Maggie, but you're like family to me too." Jane told her "I'll be there whenever you need me."

"Thank you." Maggie finally managed whisper between hiccups.

"I don't know if it'll be any easier, but you should think about telling Joe and Nikki first. Then you can have all three of us behind you when you tell your parents." She suggested gently "I can be there for those too if you want."

"Ok, I'll think about it." She agreed in a hushed voice "Thank you for not hating me."

"There is nothing to hate Maggie. A little bit of awkwardness is easy enough to overcome with a time, but don't for a second think that this is something you should be hated for. You have the right to seek happiness with another human being just as much as the next person despite their gender, we do live in Massachusetts, I don't think states come any more liberal."

Maggie actually did quirk a smile for a second at Jane's joke. "Stop trying to be funny."

"And miss a chance to make you laugh? Never. Now I have one last bit of advice for you."

"What's that?" Maggie inquired sniffling a little.

"Go make your self some tea or hot chocolate if that's what you prefer, take a nice warm bath if you can and take a nap. It's pretty much guaranteed to make you feel even just the slightest bit better."

"That doesn't sound half bad actually; I think I'll go try that."

"Good" Jane chirped happily "It'll do you good, I promise."

"I believe you. Thank you again for understanding, I've been so afraid of how people would react it's been really hard for me to talk to anyone."

"Just remember that there are people out there that love you kiddo, it's not the end of the world, just the beginning of a new chapter in your life. That's all any change really is."

"Now you're starting to sound like Dear Abby." Maggie teased.

"Alright that's my cue to let you go then, too much mushy stuff is bad for your mind."

"Ok, bye Jane. Say hello to my brother for me when you see him."

"You better say hello to him yourself missy, his birthday is tomorrow." She reminded the youngest Grant child "But I'll pass along the message anyway just in case you forget. Good bye Maggie, stay safe."

When she hung up the phone she flopped back on her couch and just stared at the ceiling for several minutes. That was probably one of the most difficult conversations she'd had in a very long time and she still didn't quite understand Maggie had chosen _her_ to keep her secret. It seemed like Nikki would have been the obvious choice, or even Joe.

She could only imagine the talk that he was going to have with Maggie when she told him, especially if he connected the same dots that she had and came to the same conclusion. She really didn't think he would be too happy knowing his little sister had any sort of non-plutonic feelings for the same woman he did. She certainly wasn't going to tell him, but if he did figure it out on his own that would be one sibling confrontation that she was not willing to get involved in.

She rolled off the couch and retrieved her laptop from where it was plugged into the wall charging and promptly deleted all traces of her profile's existence from the website before it caused any more trouble.

Then she packed a bag in preparation for her trip the next day and took her dog out for a long leisurely walk around the pond in the park in search of even just a glimpse of the web-footed creatures and the man they represented, that had wormed their way into her heart.

* * *

A/N: I hope I didn't mangle anybody too bad in the process of my speedy update. I feel especially good about this chapter because it hits home for me. My best friend is gay and I love her to death, but she totally blew me out of the water when she finally came out to everyone. I think she's one of the bravest people I know, but I can only imagine how scared she was to do that. I wanted Maggie to have someone accept her like I accepted my friend, apparently it makes all the difference knowing there is someone out there who cares. So that last little bit goes out to anybody who has a gay/lesbian/bi friend or family member who was brave enough to come out and be proud of who they are. It's not my way of life, but that won't stop me from fully supporting others who do follow that path.

A/N 2: In case anyone was wondering Edmund actually is Donnie Wahlberg's middle name according to IMDB so that part isn't entirely made up. Also I hope you guys don't mind the back story that I make up for these two. I think I have the most fun writing that stuff because there are so many possibilities, but if people feel it doesn't fit in the story or it's too much let me know and I'll try to cut back on it a little. Also if it ever seems my characters are straying from where they should be, please do me a favor and give me an electronic head slap (or just tell me), sometimes these things slip through the cracks. I'll get them back in shape for the next chapter.


	10. Chapter 10

Um...so this is what happens when I fall down a bottomless pit. But good news, I've crawled out and made my way back to civilization! I'm pretty sure it'd take me about another month to apologize properly for such a long stint in between updates but really all I can say is real life sucks and I'm SO INCREDIABLY SORRY! Now back to the important stuff...still no beta so any and all mistakes are mine, I try to read through these things a few times to catch any but a few always manage to slip through the cracks so just look the other way or use your imagination if you find them please. I have this weekend off so hopefully the next installment will pop up a whole lot sooner than this last one. This one's a little shorter than last time but I really did think you guys deserved something to read since I made you wait so long already, next one will be better I promise. Thank you to my reviewers and favorites/alert people, you guys are awesome and you keep me holding on to my crazy projects like this. Hope you enjoy and on with the story...

**Disclaimer:** No I don't own any of it besides Patrick and Max but I hardly think they count. Rizzoli and Isles are owned by other wonderful people who are not me, and I make no profit from any of this...except maybe a certain fondness for Donnie Wahlberg, but you can't really blame me too much for that can you?

* * *

Joe reached out from under the blanket to slap his alarm into silent submission Thursday morning. Groaning as he rolled out of bed at the ungodly early hour of the morning, he padded into the bathroom to start his normal morning routine. It wasn't until he was already dressed and picked up his phone to clip it on his belt that he noticed he had a text message waiting for him.

**Happy Birthday Joey! You're growing up so fast, it brings a tear to my eye. Find any gray hairs yet?**

He checked the time stamp on the message and confirmed his suspicions. Nikki had sent the message at exactly midnight the night before. It figured that even though she was older than him, she still felt it necessary to tease him about aging every year. Knowing full well how early it was and that responding to the message would most likely wake her up, he typed out a response and sent it off, a smug grin stretching across his face. **Thanks, but we aren't all as old as you grandma. No gray yet, unlike you I've still got my youth. **

It took a bit longer than usual, but eventually he received a text back from his less than happy big sister that had him laughing. **I hate you. I hope your birthday sucks. **

**Love you too Nikki. Welcome to the hours before 10 AM, didn't know they existed did you? **He sent back to her before heading off to work. It came as no surprise to him that she didn't bother responding to the message, but he did indulge in a few amused snickers on her behalf. He knew how much she loathed waking up early for any reason, least of all for a text message. She'd always been a light sleeper and it would most likely take her a good hour to fall back asleep now, if she even managed to at all.

The day was definitely starting out on a good note in his opinion. Now all he had to do was spend a few mindless hours working and he'd be back home in Boston celebrating with Jane by the end of the night.

That thought alone kept him diligently hacking away at the files on his desk until Patrick came by on his way in to say hello.

"Hey there birthday boy!" He greeted as he walked into Joe's office "Got any plans for the day?"

Joe glanced up from the open folder he'd been reading from on his desk at his entrance "Just the usual. Headed back home tonight as soon as I get outta here later. Hopefully I'll have a nice surprise waiting for me when I get there, Jane wouldn't tell me what she had planned."

Having at least partial knowledge of what was on the agenda for the day Patrick couldn't suppress a bright smile from forming on his lips. "Oh I bet it's something good. She's a clever one, that girl of yours."

"I'm not quite sure how I feel about the fact that you know her well enough to come to that conclusion. It may be dangerous for my well being having you so closely acquainted." Joe gave his friend a critical eye "Don't think I've forgotten about that little stunt you pulled last month, I'm just biding my time until you let your guard down to get back at both of you for that."

Patrick's deep laugh did nothing to reassure Joe despite his following words "Don't worry man, I promise we don't stay in touch just to plot against you. She's a very interesting person as you well know; Teresa and I are both rather fond of her."

"Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. Instead of just having to keep an eye on you, I have to worry about what your meddling wife is weaseling outta her too. It's a lotta work keeping you two in line, then factor in Jane and it's damn near impossible to keep tabs on it all."

"Which is half the fun of it." Patrick smiled "It's good to keep you on your toes."

"And here I thought you were on _my _side. I shoulda known Jane'd turn you to the dark side."

"Well what can I say? The force is strong with that one. But that's beside the point for this visit. I came in to wish you a happy birthday and give you this" he reached into the messenger bag hanging over his shoulder and produced a cardboard party hat from the main compartment "compliments of Teresa, since she couldn't be here to give it to you herself." He handed the accessory over to his friend and colleague "Happy birthday Joe! Enjoy."

Joe accepted the offering wearily, settling it on the corner of his desk. "Thanks. I'll treasure it forever, or until the end of the day, whichever comes first."

"I'll be sure to pass the message along to Teresa." Patrick chortled "I'll let you get back to work now, my job here is done."

Joe waved Patrick out of the room and scowled as he heard the echo of his laugh resonating through the hallway while he walked towards his own office.

Closer to 1 o'clock than noon, Tony and Eddie poked their heads into Joe's office to see if he wanted to grab some lunch with them. He wasn't lucky enough for Tony not to notice the hat and make a comment about it but he accepted the offer anyway.

What he wasn't aware of was that Patrick had arranged for the two men to take him on the little outing specifically so he could go pick up Jane from the airport without Joe suspecting anything.

When Jane turned away from the baggage carousel after collecting her things at Washington National, she was greeted by a tall, very attractive blonde man smiling at her warmly.

"Patrick Schaffer?" She double checked, just to make sure she wasn't going to walk off with a stranger.

"In the flesh." He did a little bow for her and offered to take her bag from her "It's great to finally meet you in person Jane. Can I take that off your hands for you?"

"Likewise." They shared a brief handshake and an easy smile "And don't even think about it buddy, I'm just fine carrying my own stuff. Teresa warned me you like to play the knight in shining armor, but I'm about as far from a damsel in distress as you can get so don't start gettin' any ideas."

"Of course not." He returned, amusement lacing his voice "This way please, your carriage awaits."

They shared a cordial laugh as the pair exited the building and made their way back to DHS headquarters. Patrick set her up with a visitor's pass when they passed the security checkpoint and personally led her through the building to Joe's office.

Tony had done his job of making sure Joe's office stayed unlocked and easily accessible to them. It saved them the effort of having to somehow break in without drawing any suspicion to themselves, which in a government building, might not have been the simplest thing.

They slipped inside and Jane immediately set about pulling things from a plastic bag she'd brought along and arranging things on his desk.

The package of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups she left in plain sight was a throw back to their days in narcotics, as was the Pez dispenser with the Wonder Woman head she hid in the container housing his writing utensils. The bobble head baseball player she left by his monitor was as much a homage to his past as it was a subtle clue to what the main part of her present to him was, however the mini magnetic fishing game she left in the top drawer of his desk was purely for comedic value.

She rummaged around in his desk until it produced a small keychain containing what she hoped was a spare key to his apartment and pocketed it for later. Then as quickly and silently as they'd slipped in, they walked out of his office and closed the door behind them. It wasn't quite time for phase two yet.

When Joe waltzed back into his office later that afternoon, it didn't take him long to notice that something was different.

He tapped the bobble head, the most noticeable new edition to his desk, with a finger and watched as the over sized head bobbed from side to side. The packet of peanut butter cups had him smiling and immediately made him think of Jane.

_It had been the first case they worked together since she'd transferred from vice to narcotics. She'd been hoping she'd be able to keep ignoring his presence like she had in the past but when they got partnered up together to take down a local ring of dealers selling drugs to college kids she knew she'd just have to suck it up and work with him. _

_For the first day or two they'd barely talked to each other unless it was absolutely necessary, both doing their own thing, being uncharacteristically detached and almost strictly professional. They hadn't gotten anywhere, so by the third day they had reverted back to their old habits. He'd make a snide remark to her, she would have an equally insulting retort for him with her own thoughts and they'd both glare at each other, silently considering how valid the other's opinion was until one of them caved and went along with it. They cracked the case open so quickly after that it was a mystery why they had ever tried pretending that they could interact with each other any other way and have it make any sense._

_During the final raid of the house where the guilty drug dealers where supposedly holed up, Jane ended up pushing Joe out of the way of some stray bullets from a dealer's erratic gunshots over his shoulder as he tried to flee arrest. When she took up the chase to capture him he'd surprised her with a 2x4 to the stomach as she turned a corner to follow him down an alley. Joe had returned the kindness a few minutes later when he finally cornered the scum bag and made sure he "tripped" a few times before he'd been subdued and brought into custody. _

_After the case was closed but before they'd started in on the paperwork, Jane had returned to her desk to find a package of Reese's Cups waiting for her. She smiled as she opened the plastic wrapping and slid one of the cups out. She met Joe's amused grin, knowing full well who'd been her supplier and tossed him the candy "Peace offering" she'd claimed. It seemed fitting she'd share his underhanded thank you present with him in her own attempt to show her gratitude. _

_He unwrapped the piece of chocolate and held it up to toast to something "To partners" _

"_To catching the bad guys" she added taking a bite of her own piece of peanut buttery goodness. _

For the duration of their shared time in the unit if the situation ever came up that they found themselves working together again, they always shared a package of peanut butter cups at the end of the case_._ I didn't happen often, which they both alternately saw as a blessing and an annoyance, but when they did get the chance it was always the talk of the department, and they never disappointed.

As a general courtesy for the growing respect of the dynamic duo, as they had been so affectionately been dubbed by Joe's partner after finding out about a certain Pez dispenser, the rest of the guys let them have their little moments when they could. Even if by all outward appearances they weren't getting along, they always called a truce long enough to indulge in the sugary snack.

He ripped open the package and extracted one of the two pieces inside and left the other one for later, he'd give it to Jane when he got home.

Searching through his drawers for any other surprises, he found the children's fishing game with the little plastic fish that opened and closed their mouths while you tried to fish them out with a miniature pole with a magnet of the end of a string. He took a moment to indulge in the simple game, again bringing a silly grin to his face before putting it back in his desk for safe keeping.

Knowing he had to get back to work he found his pen he'd discarded earlier and picked up where he left off before he'd been interrupted for lunch. The faster he got this done, the sooner he could catch that plane back to Boston.

When his pen ran out of ink midway through scribbling some notes, he shook it a few times and tried doodling a few curly cues to get the ink flowing again. Since he hadn't had any luck he tossed the pen in the garbage bin and went to grab a new pen from the container when he encountered the Pez dispenser masquerading as a writing implement.

That particular discovery cemented his belief that if it had been Patrick leaving him things like he suspected, he was definitely getting orders directly from Jane herself. It was a rather bittersweet memory from their past.

_She'd helped him and his partner out on a case that in their words "had required a female touch". When the two men had followed a lead and went to bust a dealer's apartment, they'd found more than they were expecting then just the man in suspect. To their intense fury they'd also found his girlfriend dead from what looked like a cocaine overdose and her doped up six year old little girl. The child had looked so much like Maggie when she was that age Joe hadn't been able to follow her to the hospital and offer the child the comfort she deserved, but he didn't want to just leave her alone before handing her off to child services either, so he'd asked Jane for a favor. There wasn't anyone he trusted more with delicate situations, especially when they involved kids. For all that pent up rage and anger she let out on perps, she was intensely gentle and soothing when it came to people in distress. _

"_Hey Rizzoli, are you busy?" He approached her desk cautiously back at the station._

_She turned away from the computer she'd been typing on to respond to his question "Um, not really. Just finishing up the paperwork on the Collins case. Why? Whadda ya want Grant?" _

"_I know we've had our differences in the past" he started out slowly, not wanting to provoke her for any reason "but I was wondering if you'd be the better person here and do me a favor." _

_She quirked a disbelieving eyebrow at that "Depends, what kind of favor are you asking for?" _

_He inhaled a deep breath and explained the circumstances of the case and the situation he'd found himself, and the little girl in. _

_Jane didn't even bat an eyelash when he finished explaining and asked her to do what he couldn't. She agreed without fuss and actually laid a comforting hand on his shoulder for a moment and murmured "You're only human Joe" before walking out of the precinct for the hospital. _

_She hadn't had any toys on her when she'd made her way over but she'd stopped in the gift shop on her way up and picked up a few things she thought would be appropriate for keeping the little girl occupied once she was awake and coherent._

_After his shift that night he finally found it within himself to check up on the little girl. He heard her childish giggle turned squeal of delight from down the hall and paused in the doorway of her room to observe the scene before him. Little Ashley Cline was making a Wonder Woman Pez dispenser have an animated conversation with a little white stuffed bear and the Batman dispenser Jane was holding in her hand going along with the little girl's fantasy. _

_His heart melted at the sight of them. He lingered in the door way for a few minutes so as not to disturb them, until Ashley noticed him lurking and called out to him. "Are you one of Jane's detective friends who helped me?" she'd asked, eyes wide with wonder. _

"_Yep, I sure am. My name's Joe. " He confirmed walking over to her bed "I came by to see how you were doing. I asked my friend Jane here to keep you company." _

"_Oh, well I think you have some pretty cool friends then. She's really nice." Ashley informed him smiling at Jane "She even let me have some candy." She lowered her voice to a loud whisper "But don't tell the doctors or they'll take my toys away." _

"_My lips are sealed" Joe assured her in the same stage whisper. _

"_Is Wonder Woman you're favorite super hero?" He asked motioning to the toy in her hands "Or Batman?" _

_She took a minute to ponder and then decided "I think I like Batman better."_

"_Me too" Jane agreed "He was always my favorite."_

_Ashley smiled brightly and passed the Wonder Women toy over to Joe "here, you can be her and I'll be my bear." _

_He frowned "Don't I get to be Batman since he's a boy like me?" _

"_Nope, Jane makes a better Batman. She's the bestest super hero I've ever met!" _

_Jane took great pleasure in referring to Joe as Wonder Woman for as long as she possibly could that night while he pouted over being designated to a girl's character, but he was a good sport about it for Ashley's sake._

_From the outside, a casual passerby that wasn't aware of the real situation would have easily mistaken them for a happy family, just another set of parents visiting their sick daughter in her time of need. The two of them spent a good hour playing with her and distracting her until Ashley finally nodded off, her still recovering little body weak and exhausted from all the excitement. When a nurse came by to inform them that visiting hours were over and they'd have to go, Jane reluctantly shook the little girl awake so she could give her a proper goodbye. _

"_Ashley sweetie, wake up for me for just a second ok?" Jane coaxed the drowsy child awake gently "We have to go now. I just wanted to say good bye before we left."_

_She blinked her eyes open wearily; only vaguely aware of her surroundings "Do you really hafta go?" She asked forlornly around a yawn "We had fun playing didn't we? Do you not wanna be my friend anymore?" _

"_Of course I had fun playing with you, and I would love to still be your friend but we can't stay here with you anymore, it's against the rules. You need your rest." Jane looked to the man on the other side of the bed to back her up "Right Joe?" _

"_Yeah, you need lots of sleep to get all better as soon as you can." He echoed her feelings "Then you know what happens?" _

"_What?" _

"_You get to go with the nice social worker so you can get a new home and a mommy and daddy that aren't going to hurt you and will treat you like the little princess you are." It was what would happen in theory anyway, maybe in a perfect world he could say such things and not feel guilty he might be lying to her but she needed whatever hope he could give her right now. _

"_Can't you two just be my new mommy and daddy? Ashley started tearing up, not wanting to be abandoned. "I promise I'll be a good girl." _

"_Aw Ashley, don't cry honey. We can't be your mommy and daddy, I'm so sorry." _

_It took them another few minutes to try to explain to her in terms she would understand exactly why they couldn't adopt her. It was especially awkward trying to explain the fact that under many circumstances, they hardly even passed as friends. In the end there were plenty of tears shed and hugs given but Ashley eventually accepted the fact that her new friends had to leave her so she could go on a new adventure to find a family. They both brushed kisses across the little girl's forehead and hugged her good bye one last time. _

_The Child Services worker had finally shown up as they'd said their goodbyes so they stopped outside her door to talk to the red headed woman who introduced herself as Alice. She assured them both that Ashley would be placed in a foster home as soon as possible. "Unless you're interested in adopting her" she'd offered, looking between the two detectives who had just shared a rather heartfelt moment with the girl just moments before._

_They both took a small step away from each other and adamantly declined the offer with a mix of bright red blushes and vigorous head shakes, much to the social worker's amusement. "Just checking." _

_They'd stuttered and stumbled their way thru a few more moments of polite conversation before they both felt the need to get out of there. They handed the woman their cards and told them to contact them in case something happened to Ashley, then turned to make a clean break. _

_Before walking away entirely Jane had one last thing on her mind "I bought her a few things earlier today, if it's not too much trouble can you make sure they go with her where ever she ends up?" _

"_It's the least I can do to thank you for all you've done for her." _

_Then Joe had rested his hand on the small of Jane's back and led her away from both woman and little girl, knowing how hard it was to leave them behind. _

_Once they made it out the main doors of the hospital they paused for a moment before heading into the parking lot. _

_Jane turned her body towards him and inadvertently caused the hand that had been settled on the small of her back to shift, finding a new resting place on her hip "That was a nice thing you did for her, not many people would have come back."_

"_Not many people would have agreed to stay with her as long as you did either, especially just on the whim of a colleague." Joe pointed out, making absolutely no effort to move his hand away from her. _

"_Maybe I was doing it as a favor to a friend, not just a colleague." _

_Joe met her eyes and was surprised to see the warmth reflecting back out at him. It was a rare sight indeed, coming from Jane and directed at him. He could only think of maybe half a dozen times he'd seen her look at him like that. _

"_Then I would be one lucky bastard to have a friend like that. I guess I'd have to do something nice for her."_

"_I bet she wouldn't complain." The corner of her lips turned up in a half smirk "But she'd be just as lucky to have such a good man as a friend."_

_He smiled a bashful grin at the unexpected compliment then caught her somewhat off guard by leaning in and pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Thank you, Janie." _

"_Don't call me Janie." She scolded him gently as she finally took a step away from him, displacing his hand to drop back to his side. "I'll see you tomorrow Grant, good night." _

_They went their separate ways and climbed into their respective cars and drove off into the night. _

_The next day she walked into the bullpen to find a Batman Pez dispenser cleverly hidden among her things on her desk. She picked it up and flipped its head back to get a piece of candy, taking note he'd filled it with a specific flavor instead of the mutli-flavored ones she'd bought the night before. When she caught his eye across his desk she purposely looked down at the toy in her hand and all he did was grin. _

"_Batman_ is _the best superhero." _

"_I couldn't agree with you more Wonder Woman"._

To the best of his knowledge, she'd kept that silly thing with her during her whole stretch in narcotics and always had it stocked with what he assumed was her favorite flavor (which incidentally corresponded to his own) and was willing to share with him when she had been feeling in an especially good mood. But that was several years ago now, he doubted she still kept it at the desk, or even still knew where it was in general.

He flicked the head back and sure enough, a little red candy piece popped out for him to eat. He took two and finally decided he needed to thank Jane for her efforts. A few seconds later he had his phone out and was waiting for Jane to pick up on her end of the line.

"Hey you, how's my birthday boy doing?" She greeted him in place of her standard last name "everything going as you hoped it would?"

"Can't complain too much, it'll be even better when I finally get home tonight though."

"Oh yeah, why's that? You hoping for another birthday surprise?"

Joe leaned back in his chair to stretch out "So that _was _your doing, I thought you might have something to do with the presents I've found so far. Thank you by the way, I saved you your Reese's. But, you know it _is_ customary for people to give the birthday boy what he wants on his birthday, and I haven't quite gotten everything I've been hoping for yet. I don't think I'd be making too big a leap here to expect a little something extra from my girl when I get home."

"What more were you hoping for a piñata?" Jane motioned for Patrick to hand her a pad of paper to write something down "Just because something is customary doesn't mean I have to follow it, you know. It's customary for people in committed relationships to have jobs in the same state also but you don't seem to have a problem not following _that_ custom."

"That's a low blow baby, you know if I could do something about that I would. Besides, times are changing, it's not as hard to have long distance relationships as it used to be. I was just sort of hoping you'd be a little bit nicer to me today since it is a special occasion and all…"

Jane smirked at his rather pitiful attempt to make her feel bad "Don't start whining at me Joey, it doesn't suit you. If all you want is for me to nicer to you though I suppose I can make an effort to give you your one birthday wish. It's a lot simpler then what I had planned."

"You can give me more than one thing you know." Joe was quick to remind her, not wanting her to get any ideas about not going through with her plans for the evening "There is no set limit on how many gifts one person can get for a birthday and there are over a decade worth of birthday wishes I've made that can finally come true now."

"Ah, but that's where we run into the catch 22. I don't know what those wishes were, so I can't possibly make any of them come true. But if you _do_ tell me what they are, they can't come true because once you tell someone what you wished for it's null and void."

Joe let out a frustrated huff "You know very well what I want Jane, it's the same thing I've wanted every year since we were kids, the specifics just changed a bit from year to year."

"Well in that case I'm pretty sure I already granted your birthday wishes awhile ago, several times even. Anything else from this point on is just icing on the cake. I never did like too much icing you know, all that sugar makes me sick."

"But the icing is _my _favorite part so I expect you to plan accordingly." Joe stated firmly.

"Keep dreaming Joey. You should know by now that I don't take orders from anyone, even on their birthdays, so it's pointless to make demands. You'll just have to trust that you'll get whatever treatment I think you deserve."

"I don't even get a say in this do I? It is_ my_ birthday we're supposed to be celebrating tonight" Joe tried to point out. "I think I should have a little bit of sway."

"You can suggest anything you want but that doesn't mean you'll get it."

"What if what I want is also something you want? Would you be more inclined to make it happen?"

Jane thought about it for a second "Possibly, but then it wouldn't be much of a surprise would it?"

"What if I don't care if it's a surprise? What if all that I ever wanted was you wrapped in a big red bow and nothing else?" Joe challenged.

"Then I'd have to remind you how cliché that is and not really something that I myself would wish for. You really can't come up with anything better than that?"

"What if I _like_ cliché?" He pointed out impishly, ready to play a little bit dirty with her since she wasn't bending to his will "The bow is really just for show, you can forgo that as long as I get the rest of the package. Anyway that I can get you screaming my name and begging me for more would be totally acceptable. I plan on enjoying my birthday Jane, and that means you'll be completely at my mercy for the whole night, birthday rules. "

Jane let out a barely audible groan before lowering her voice and turning her back to Patrick's desk and the man currently sitting behind it trying not to pay attention to the conversation going on in front of him. "You're not playing fair again Joey. You have to play nice during work hours."

"I don't remember accepting those terms. You forget, I have my own office with the ability to close the door, I know for a fact you don't have that same luxury." He glanced at his open door, and contemplated getting up to close it just to prove his point. It didn't matter Jane wouldn't be able to see it, he'd still know.

She was well aware of the familiar yearning building up in her body, it was killing her knowing he was just a few yards down the hall but she couldn't go over there and call him out on his bluff.

He'd already informed her a couple weeks ago that he wasn't going to be caught in a compromising situation at work…but then again, he'd had the door open then, she had to wonder how far he'd really be willing to go if he had the option to just close and lock his door before really getting into it.

As tempting as it was to find out, there was no way in hell she'd be doing anything while she was still hanging out in Patrick's office and she didn't want to ruin her surprise for later by letting him know she was there now.

So she took a few quick deep breathes to get her body back under control "What did I tell you last time Joey? Closed doors. That was the only condition. Just keep that in mind for later. Now hang up the phone and get back to work, it may be _your_ birthday but we're playing by _my_ rules now." She hung up on him before she got a response and exhaled a long breath through her nose before turning back around to face Patrick.

"Sorry 'bout that, Joe's decided since it's his birthday he can be even more difficult than usual. Don't get me wrong, I love him, but sometimes he can just be such a bastard."

"I believe it is his prerogative today." Patrick studied her from his chair "though I hope for his sake that he tones it down a bit, you're not very fond of that side of him are you?"

"Not in the least, but he usually knows better than to let it show this much. I think he's just getting a little too cocky because of this birthday thing, I'll be sure to straighten him out later."

Patrick looked mildly concerned for his friend's well being for a split second "I don't envy the man that crosses you Jane, just keep in mind we still need him functional come Monday, so nothing too serious ok?"

The smile Jane gave him would have passed for innocent if he hadn't seen the mischievous gleam in her eyes. "Oh don't worry, we've been doing this dance since we were in middle school, I think we both know the steps by now. You'll never even know what happened."

"I don't even want to imagine the possibilities." Patrick admitted, then promptly dropped the subject "So when does the next part of your plan commence?"

"Well, I don't know what you had in mind for getting him to go back to his place instead of straight to the airport but that's where I was planning for the next phase to kick in….however, now I think I need to go make a run by a party store and see if I can find a piñata before we do anything else."

"Are you serious?" He asked, chuckling softly.

Jane leaned against the chair she'd vacated upon answering her phone and nodded her head with a smile "Oh yes. If it'll confuse him even more then of course I have to do it. I'll bring it with us when we come over to your house this weekend and your kids can have a whack at it and keep the candy. I just need to figure out a way to slip it in his office before he leaves today; he's not supposed to guess that I'm here yet."

"That may pose a problem, getting out of here means walking right by his open office door…unless we call in a little bit of help." Patrick picked up the phone on his desk and dialed an extension number.

"Renna" The man on the other end greeted.

"Hey Max, I have a proposition for you, you interested?"

A few doors down the hall Max paused what he was doing to consider the offer. "I guess that depends on what it is you need me for."

"How would you like to be a part of a top secret mission and escort a lovely lady on an errand around town for me?"

"Who is this lovely lady of yours and why am I sneaking around? If this is gonna get me in trouble with some big burly man that will want to use me as a punching bag later I'm not doing it Pat."

Patrick laughed into the phone before he could stop himself "Why don't you just come on down to my office and I'll introduce you, I promise there will be no big burly guys swinging punches."

Max glanced at the time then at the pile of papers on his desk "Alright I'll be there in a minute, but I hope this won't take too long, I have to have some of this stuff filed by the end of the day."

"Oh don't worry, it won't take long. We just need you for some diversionary tactics."

"That sounds cryptic, are you sure I'm not gonna get in trouble for this?" He double checked, sounding even more hesitant than before.

"I promise. Now come on, the sooner you get here the sooner you can get back to your paperwork."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, alright I'm on my way. See you in a minute." Max hung up his phone and closed his office door behind him.

A minute later there was a knock on Patrick's door and Max stuck his head in and looked around before opening it further to come in completely. "Alright what's up Pat?"

A dark haired woman was sitting in the chair in front of his desk and got up to face him as he approached.

"Max Renna, this is Jane Rizzoli. She's in town for the weekend for Joe's birthday." Jane shook his hand and offered him a friendly smile.

"Nice to meet you, I've heard about you from Joe, it's nice to finally have a face to put with the name." She greeted.

Covertly as he could, Max gave her the once over and returned her smile. "The pleasure is all mine, Jane. Would I be correct in assuming you're his special lady friend he's been ditching us for on the weekends?"

"The one and only." Jane answered with a cheerful little smile "but just so you know and won't hold it against me, that whole weekends thing he did all on his own. I'm sure as hell not gonna complain about it, but you can't hold me responsible either. I don't do that whole girly clingy bit, it's not my style."

"Oh? And what is your style then?" Max tried to recall anything Joe had mentioned about his girl in the past few months but he didn't come up with anything relevant. Joe wasn't one to brag about his sexual exploits like Tony, but he could certainly understand if he did want to after meeting Jane in person.

"Let's just say I'm more inclined to be throwing back a beer at a baseball game then I am prancing around drooling at designer clothes."

Max regarded her for a second, head tilted slightly to the side "You have a sister by chance?"

Jane and Patrick both laughed and Jane shook her head. "Sorry buddy, got two brothers though. I've been trying to hoist them off on someone for years, you interested?"

"Nope, I've got some of those myself." He took a seat in the other chair in front of Patrick's desk. "So what's this top secret mission we're trying to pull off here? I assume it involves Joe somehow?"

"Sort of. Jane here needs to go out and pick something up but we need to get her past Joe's office first. Then if you'd be so kind as to show her around a bit that would be appreciated. I have a few things I have to do here or I would do it myself."

"I'll buy you coffee" Jane offered, to sweeten the deal.

"Oh, you're on missy. What's the plan?" He readily agreed there were most definitely worse ways to spend the afternoon than in the company of a beautiful woman, even if she was already spoken for.

The three brainstormed for a few minutes then decided to go with the simplest solution. A few minutes later Max and Jane exited the office right after Patrick and hung back a few steps. The tall man used his size to the best of his ability to block the door of Joe's office while he engaged his friend in conversation, allowing the other two to slip away unnoticed behind him.

The pair of them made it out of the building without a problem and Max led her to his car and headed in the direction of the closest party store. They chatted in the car on the way over, Jane's excitement for the night ahead making her even more friendly and outgoing than usual. They found a lot they could relate to with each other, Max having been a detective for a few years before switching careers, shared stories of his time in Baltimore and Jane in turn shared some of the more amusing cases she'd run across in Boston.

When they walked into the store they started going through the aisles looking for what they'd come for. Max called her over when he stumbled upon the aisle they needed. "Hey Jane, over here!"

She turned the corner and walked up to the shelf he'd been pointing at. Staring right back at her was exactly what she wanted. She broke down in a fit of laughter that had Max giving her a very concerned look.

"Um, you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine" she assured him, biting back her laughter "I think I've just found what I needed though." She picked up the medium sized piñata and made her way over to the cash registers to pay for it.

"Well I suppose that was quick and painless. You wanna explain why it's so funny?"

Jane shook her head in the negative "Nope, just one of those things."

Once it was purchased and stowed safely in the car Max drove them to his favorite coffee house and as promised, Jane bought him his coffee and they took a short break to enjoy their drinks.

Jane found that she rather liked Max's company and made a mental note to make sure he was invited out with them whenever Joe decided he wanted to do the official meet and greet that was bound to happen sometime that weekend. She wasn't particularly looking forward to meeting Tony in person, but if the rest of his colleagues and friends were more like Patrick and Max then she would be alright with that.

They managed to sneak back into the DHS building with a little help from Patrick again and they retreated to Patrick's office to plan how she would get Joe out of his office long enough to smuggle their newest addition in. It was decided that it was Max's turn to run interference so he went back to his office and dialed Joe's extension. After a little bit of persuasion he got Joe to agree to come give him a hand with some decisively vague task that would keep him occupied for a few minutes.

When the coast was clear Jane and Patrick ran down the hall to his office and he stood guard while Jane hastily strung up the piñata with a chain of rubber bands she had attached to the loop on the duck's head and let it dangle down in his doorway. They closed the door behind them and retreated back down the hall to the safety of Patrick's office just as Joe was reemerging into the hallway.

Jane dove behind Patrick's desk as they heard his footsteps approach the open doorway. When Joe glanced into his friend's office Patrick had his focus on his computer screen diligently working on something he couldn't see. He didn't want to disturb him so he kept going back to his own office.

When he approached his newly closed door he knew something was up, he was almost positive he'd left it open. Cautiously he opened the door and came face to face with a bright yellow paper-mâché rubber ducky.

He had no idea what to say. Or do for that matter.

How the hell had she pulled _this_ one off? He'd only just spoken to her an hour ago and he hadn't seen Patrick leave the whole time. He was pretty sure Patrick was the only one of his friends that even knew who Jane was, let alone would be in contact with her.

Clearly perplexed about how she'd arranged something so fast he couldn't help but laugh a little. After cutting the toy down with a pair of scissors from his desk, Joe tucked it under his arm and walked over to Patrick's office.

"Knock, knock" he said knocking on the door frame to get Patrick's attention "Did you have something to do with this?"

Patrick took one look at the duck he was holding out on display and let out a few deep laughs "No, I can't say that I did. Is that a piñata? Please tell me you're going to string it up in the break room later and let us all have a go at it?"

"I find it extremely hard to believe you right now." Joe glared at his friend "Jane was the only one who mentioned anything about a piñata at all today and you're the only one she knows around here besides me. So logically if I didn't do it, then it must have been you."

"I give you my word that I have never touched that thing before in my life."

Joe narrowed his eyes at him a bit more before finally deciding he was telling the truth. "Well if you didn't do it either than how the hell did I end up with a duck piñata hanging in my doorway?"

"Magic?" Patrick offered in explanation.

Joe gave him a look that clearly conveyed that he was not amused. "You're not hiding Jane in here somewhere are you?"

"No, of course not" he answered easily, not a trace of dishonesty in his voice "that would be one hell of a magic trick though, if I do say so myself."

Joe took a few steps around his office just to make sure and found it empty except for the two of them. He let out a slightly confused "Hmm" then retreated back to the doorway, duck still under his arm.

"Guess you're right. I think I really need to get out of here, this place is driving me crazy."

Giving his friend a sympathetic head nod Patrick agreed with him "Yeah, those long hours are really doing a number on you. Just go on and get back to work for a few hours, the time will fly by and then you'll have the whole weekend to celebrate."

"Amen to that. This definitely calls for some quality time with my girl. Guess I'll let you get back to whatever you were working on. Sorry to bother you man."

"Don't worry about it Joe, it's an understandable mistake."

Joe retreated back to his office and settled down to finish his work as quickly as possible, one thought constantly driving him on.

Patrick waited a few minutes after Joe left before picking up his cell phone and dialing a familiar number. "Coast's clear."

"That was close. I barely made it into the bathroom before he came back out into the hallway."

"Well if you wanted him confused then you've definitely achieved your goal." He informed her merrily "he has no clue what's going on."

"Just the way I wanted it." Jane replied smugly "you think I should chance getting back to you or just head for Max's office?"

He took a second to contemplate before answering "It's your call. He's already come and snooped around my office but you never know if he'll come back again. It might be safer if you hang low with Max for a bit. I can call him and warn him you're coming."

"That sounds like my best bet then. Will you come get me when you're heading out?"

"Of course. I'll even drop you off at his door."

"Great" Jane replied happily "then I guess I'll see you a little later."

"Yes I can assure you, you will. Have fun with Max, he's a nice guy."

"He seems so" Jane agreed

They said a quick good bye and Jane crept down the hall towards Max's office where she would spend the next few hours distracting him while he worked.

Joe was distracted himself; thinking about what he was looking forward to that night. He was just glad that he didn't have any important meetings scheduled today because he wasn't sure he could have focused long enough to retain any pertinent information.

Later that day Joe happened to glance up and be staring out into the hallway when Max and Patrick walked by his office door. He thought he saw a third person hidden behind the two men but he couldn't get a clear look at the other figure so he brushed it off and kept working so he could get home as soon as possible.

As promised, Patrick escorted her right to Joe's door.

"Now you're sure you can get him to come back here without tipping him off?" Jane asked him one last time, she didn't want anything ruining the surprise.

"I assure you, what I have planned for him will probably do more to _tick _him off then _tip_ him off. But if he calls you for any reason don't answer your phone ok? I have a general idea on the timeline of events but he might decide to mix things up."

"Alright if you say so, you're the brilliant mastermind here. Just don't piss him off too much ok? A few ruffled feathers are easy enough to smooth over but if he's really mad the night is just not going to be as enjoyable."

Patrick held up a hand to placate her worries "I promise, he won't be any more harassed than he usually is. However, if he's in a bad mood because I've inconvenienced him then you have to deal with that on your own. I only agreed to get him here, I make no promises on his attitude upon arrival."

"Thanks for the disclaimer, I'm sure I can find a way to tame the beast when he gets here."

She pulled out the spare key she'd found earlier that day, crossed her fingers and tried to unlock the door. Luckily the knob turned and she threw a farewell wave to Patrick as she walked into his dark apartment.

She felt around for a light switch on the wall and flicked it on to find a mostly empty apartment. It had some furnishings, a sofa, recliner, coffee table and a few other random pieces of furniture. Most of which she's heard from Joe, had come with the apartment when he'd first rented it. There wasn't much of his own stuff here and had she not known this was his place she wouldn't have had the slightest idea it was even lived in.

Aside from the cable hook up connected to the TV and the lights from a wireless router flickering on the otherwise empty entertainment system it didn't look like anyone was using the electronics very often if the layer of dust was any indication. His stereo sat next to a stack of CDs in one corner out of the way and seemly out of mind. There were no pictures around and the walls were a clean white, void of any sort of decorations.

She wandered into his small kitchen area and found a single mug in the sink and the dishwasher mostly empty. His fridge wasn't in much different shape and the cabinets were only half occupied as well.

Further exploration led her to his bedroom which was the only real indication someone was at least spending the night there. His queen sized bed was covered in plain blue cotton sheets and there were two framed pictures on the dresser across the room from it.

She smiled at the one family picture that had probably been taken somewhat recently since everyone looked their proper ages as she knew them in the present. The other was a candid shot of her in her bikini, grinning at something off camera. She couldn't remember what she'd been looking at but she remembered him snapping a lot of shots of her that day at the beach.

The rest of the room was mostly bare, some random boxes cluttered up in one corner, another corner was taken up by a dirty laundry basket that sat next to his half empty closet. There was a lamp on the table of either side of the bed and a digital alarm clock on the one closest to the wall.

Over all it mostly gave her the sense that he didn't spend much time there at all. He hadn't gone past the minimal amounts of decorating and moving in than was necessary and he hadn't added any of his own style to his living space.

Now more than ever she realized just how much her apartment really was home to both of them. This mostly deserted bachelor pad sure as hell was not anyone's _home._

She piled her stuff up in the unoccupied corner of his bedroom and made a list of the supplies she'd need for the rest of the night. On the way over Patrick had informed her there was a grocery store about a block from Joe's place and that anything she'd need that she couldn't find there he'd try and take care of himself. She locked the door behind her and secured the confiscated key in her pocket when she left on her supply gathering adventure.

The ingredients for dinner weren't exotic so she hadn't had much trouble finding everything she needed at the one place. It was still early enough that she didn't have to worry about finding the right building again in the dark so the return trip was easier than she'd first expected it might have been.

While she started on dinner, Patrick started the ball rolling on his promised part of their arrangement.

Joe was antsy the last half an hour or so before the normal time he finished his work hours for the week, he just wanted to get out of there and get back home. He was just packing up his things and was about to call Jane when Patrick mysteriously appeared in front of his desk without warning.

When Joe looked up he took a startled step back as he realized someone was right in front of him "Jesus, Pat you scared me. What are you creeping around here for? I thought you went home."

"Nope, just had an errand to run. I'm on my way out now though; I figured I'd see if you were ready to go and we could keep each other company while we made our grand exit for the evening."

"Yeah, sure why not. Lemme just grab my stuff." Joe was more occupied making sure he didn't forget anything than paying attention to his friend, so he didn't see the sly little grin that graced Patrick's face at his answer.

"So did you get a chance to call Jane and wear her down enough to tell you what's on the agenda for tonight?"

"I'm not sure if you remember, but I somehow ended up with a rubber ducky piñata" he said pointedly looking down at the bright yellow creation "do you really think I accomplished anything other than give her more ridiculous ideas?" Carrying his briefcase and piñata, Joe stepped out of his office and locked the door behind him.

"Look on the bright side" Patrick comforted his friend "at least you know she cares. I can't imagine it would be particularly easy to arrange the delivery of something like that without you knowing. If that's not love I don't know what is."

Joe's speculatively raised eyebrow suggested otherwise "Yeah, cause nothing says 'I love you' better than a rubber ducky."

"So she's thinking outside the box, I'm sure it makes sense somehow. You guys never have stayed on the beaten path from what I've heard, why expect anything different now?"

Releasing a sigh Joe had to agree "I guess so, but what am I supposed to do with this thing anyway? I'm not takin' this on the plane with me."

"If you don't have a better use for it why don't you bring it by the house the next time you're headed my way? Ally's still a little young to appreciate it but I'm sure Joel and Chris would have a great time with it."

Cracking a smile at the thought of Patrick's two oldest kids whacking on the paper mache in search of candy he readily agreed "Sure, why don't you just take it now?"

"Nope, can you just imagine how much more excited they'll be when 'cool Uncle Joe' brings them a surprise then if I bring it home? Besides it's for your birthday, you should be the one sharing it not me."

"Alright, maybe sometime next week I'll try to make it over there."

By the time they made it out to the parking lot they'd moved on to another topic and Joe was getting more and more impatient the closer they got to his car.

He exchanged a quick good bye and wave with his friend before he deposited his stuff in the passenger seat and turned the key in the ignition.

The engine didn't start.

He tried again and got the same result.

Patrick hadn't gone very far after his goodbye so he approached the car and tapped on the window. "Pop your hood man, I'll see if I can help ya out."

Joe complied and pulled the hood release before stepping out of the car and joining Patrick around the front. He didn't really know much about cars but it seemed like the most logical thing to do. Together they surveyed the jumble of parts under the hood in an effort to find out why the car wasn't starting.

"Battery dead?" Patrick asked going for the most obvious reason.

"I don't think so, it's only a few months old and it was working fine this morning."

Just out of curiosity Joe glanced under the car to see if anything was wrong under there and found a big puddle of an unidentified liquid. He cursed under his breath and stood back up "I think I have a leak somewhere in one of the lines, there's a new lake under my car that wasn't there this morning."

"That shouldn't be a problem" Patrick said sniffing the air "unless it was your gas line. In which case you need a tow truck and a lift back home. Luckily for you, I can provide both of those things for you. Teresa's cousin owns a business in town, I'll give 'em a call for you and have it taken care of. Come on" he patted Joe on the back sympathetically "I'll drop you and your birthday present off at your place so you can get on your way back to Jane." He pulled out his phone and typed out a quick text message before turning away from the vehicle towards his own.

"Thanks man, I appreciate it. I don't know what the hell's wrong with my car though, the lines were all checked when I got it a few months ago, they shouldn't have crapped out already."

"Sometimes these things happen, can't control them. It's just a good thing you didn't end up getting hurt somehow, because that is not a phone call that I look forward to having with your girl."

Collecting his things from his car Joe followed Patrick farther into the parking lot to his SUV. "I hope you never have a reason to make that call."

"You and me both." He agreed as they both got in and he backed out of the space.

"Some birthday this has turned out to be, rubber ducks and broken cars." Joe lamented "what I wouldn't give to be able to skip the whole plane ride and just have Jane waiting for me at my place. That would be a dream come true right about now."

Patrick couldn't help but let a very small smile creep across his face "Well, dreams do come true sometimes, especially on special occasions like birthdays. Maybe your luck will turn around."

"Not with my track record." Joe denied "With my luck Jane will have caught a case by the time I get home and I won't even get to see her for the rest of the weekend."

Patrick rolled his eyes at Joe "Oh come on, nobody's that unlucky. Besides don't you think Jane would have made sure she had at least one day off to celebrate with you? I know it's not a national holiday or anything but just from the bit I've gotten to know about her it's pretty clear she wants to spend time with you whenever she can. You just choose not to believe me for some reason."

"Jane's a complicated person; I'm never quite sure what to expect from her, or what she's capable of."

"She loves you Joe, that means there is no limit on the things to expect from her."

"That works just fine for me most of the time but every once in awhile I just wish I knew what was going on in her head."

Their exchange was broken up by Patrick's amused snort "Joe, I'm pretty sure that knowledge has been the holy grail for men everywhere. I'm mostly convinced that a man isn't meant to ever know what a woman is truly thinking. Greater men than you and I have tried and failed miserably, let it go. Just enjoy her while you've got her, you never know how long that may last."

"Oh believe me, I'm very aware of that fact. Not only do I have to worry about her dodging other guys, she has the collective attention of all the criminals of Boston on her every time she goes to work. If that's not enough to put a guy on edge I'm not sure what would be."

"I just hope all that worrying doesn't make you start going gray before your time, that's supposed to be reserved for when you have kids" Patrick laughed, glancing over at his friend in the passenger seat "Or did you not want any munchkins of your own?"

There was a slight hesitation before he answered "I've always loved kids, as long as I can convince Jane it's a good idea I'd like to have a few. But we've never really talked about it, I'm not quite sure how she feels. She's always been great with other people's kids though."

"Definitely a conversation to keep in mind for the future then. It's the little details like that that people tend to overlook, then they end up married and miserable because they can't agree on anything and they settle for something they don't really want just to stop the arguing. That's not good for anyone and it's generally how people end up resenting each other and getting divorced."

"That's really not something I'm looking to do. I'm more a fan of the one and done deal I think, sounds a lot less stressful."

"Well I can't speak for the multiple marriages people" he said glancing over at Joe who had been staring out the window "but I can tell you I've never been happier only being married once. We've had our ups and downs like everyone else but I wouldn't give it up for the world."

Joe turned away from the passing scenery to regard his friend "I may be over estimating myself here, but I like to think that when I do put a ring on Jane's finger she won't want to take it off and I'm not going to give her a reason to."

"It's good to have a healthy amount of confidence in yourself" Patrick chuckled "At least you have a clear goal in mind."

"A goal yes, a game plan to successfully achieve that goal, not so much yet. I'm still working on that part."

Patrick offered his friend a warm smile as they stopped at a street light "You'll figure it out Joe, it'll come in time. Just keep doing what you're doing and it'll creep up on you when you least expect it."

"How so?"

"One day you might just wake up with her in your arms and realize you never want to wake up without her there with you, or you'll be sitting at home with her and suddenly it won't matter that it's Saturday night and you could be out with the guys, because you'll already have all you ever wanted right there next to you. Maybe she'll do something unexpected and you'll get that feeling that you don't want to ever have to experience what it's like to live without her. Or maybe at some point you'll just look at her and realize that she's the one you want to have a family and grow old with. It's different for everyone but it's all essentially the same. There's always a moment when you just _know_ she's the one and then you'll know exactly what you want to do."

"Has Teresa been making you watch Lifetime again? That sounded awful sappy." Joe teased.

"Mock all you want Joe, but believe me, if you really love her, that day will come and when it does it's gonna knock you on your ass. Don't try and tell me I didn't warn you."

Joe was pretty quiet for the rest of the ride back to his apartment, taking Patrick's words to heart despite the hard time he'd given him. They pulled up outside his building and Joe hopped out of the car, entirely ready to simply drop the duck off and make his way to the airport.

"Thanks again Pat" he handed over his set of car keys so Patrick could have his car towed and hopefully fixed in his absence "I'll see ya next week." He threw over his shoulder as he walked towards the entrance.

Patrick lowered the passenger side window to yell back "You're welcome Joe. Happy birthday and enjoy your presents."

As soon as Joe disappeared into his building Patrick found a number in his phone's memory and made a call "Hey Max? Yeah, I just dropped him off. You can reattach everything and fill his tank back up. The little bit of gasoline in the water should dry up on it's own so you won't even have to worry about cleaning up the parking spot. I'm gonna go pick up Teresa and swing by so I can drop his car off and still have a ride home myself."

The man on the other end agreed to the nominal maintenance work and offered his friend a pleasant farewell before hanging up.

Inside the building Joe approached his door anxiously, the quicker he got in and out of there the quicker he could call a cab and he'd be on his way back home.

He stopped dead in his tracks the moment he swung his unlocked door open and took a few steps inside. The duck fell to the floor forgotten, as did his brief case as the door clicked shut behind him.

Jane had gotten Patrick's text message warning, telling her they'd be home soon so she was prepared for Joe's arrival.

She'd decided her little black dress needed to be pulled out of her closet once again to make a repeat appearance since she knew how much he loved her in it. Partnered with a pair of red, very high and insanely impractical heels she'd borrowed from Maura, and a red ribbon tied around her throat like a bowtie she made quite the tantalizing little picture. Especially considering the way she was casually draped along his couch.

Joe's mouth hung open for a second while he tried mostly in vain to find the right words to express his disbelief properly. "Wha…how?"

"Happy Birthday Joey" Jane purred from her spot on sofa "I hope you don't mind I let myself in and got comfortable…" She ran a single finger along the length of ribbon around her neck immediately drawing his gaze to little embellishment she'd added just for him "this _is_ what you wanted wasn't it?"

"Close enough." He breathily answered closing the distance between them with a few long strides and stopping right in front of her. "Are you sure I'm not just hallucinating this? If I try to touch you are you gonna disappear?"

"I know you said you wanted me in nothing else but the bow but really, that's just so impractical. We have plenty of time for that later." She looked up at him, a familiar fire burning in her eyes. "Now come here so we can test your theory."

He acted on her demands without hesitation, bending over to claim her mouth in a gloriously sweet welcome home kiss. Joe closed his eyes, savoring the velvet heat of her lips against his as she pulled him down to settle right beside her on the couch, grabbing a handful of his shirt to bring him in closer still. She let out a small growl of approval and gently, mutually, their kiss deepened, mouths opening together in a slow and heady caress. She tasted like rich dark chocolate, arousing all his baser male desires with the teasing flick of her tongue around his; he genuinely regretted that pesky need to breathe.

Reluctantly Jane pulled back from the kiss, eyes still blissfully closed, savoring his presence and breathing hard. "I think it's safe to say I'm real, don't you?"

Joe cupped her cheek and ran his thumb gently over her soft skin "You haven't vanished yet so that's enough proof for me."

"I would say welcome home" she started, slowly opening her eyes to catch the heated gaze he was staring her down with "but we seem to be in the wrong state for that."

"My home is wherever you are Jane, geological locations are irrelevant." He informed her leaning in for another shorter kiss.

"You're getting soft in your old age Joey, that sounded suspiciously like something out of a Hallmark card." She let out a startled squeak when he pinched her in retaliation.

He figured a gentle reminder was in order for that one "You can't call _me_ old babe, you're almost three months older than me, you cougar."

"I am _not _a cougar! You'd have to be at least three _years _younger than me to constitute that." Jane huffed, annoyed he'd bring that little fact up.

"If you say so but" he paused dramatically for a second before singing "you know I like my girls a little bit older…"

She glared at him again "Now is _not_ the time for singing."

"Oh come on baby, it's my birthday, I'm supposed to be able to do whatever I want." His whine and pouty face feel on deaf ears as Jane slipped off the couch and away from him.

"I don't know why I thought getting older would ever change you, you're just like you've always been Joey…incredibly annoying"

He watched her sashay away from him in her heels, transfixed by the way the shoes altered her movements and the lines of her body.

It was a shame to let her get so far out of his reach but it was just so damn exquisite to watch her walk away that he let her get all the way to the kitchen before he followed her. "But you love me anyway" he said grinning "besides age is just a number, and one that I don't pay too much attention to anyway."

"That was a good save there Joey, I might just have to be nice to you like I promised after all." Jane took the top of the pan holding their dinner and stirred its contents before turning the burner on under it to its lowest setting.

"It _is _part of the birthday tradition." He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle, drawing her back against his chest for a moment in a relaxing hug. "Something smells good, is this part of the rest of my birthday present?"

She tilted her head back and brushed a kiss on his jaw "You mean having me here isn't enough of a present for you?" she asked innocently "I need to do more?"

"It's probably one of the best birthday present I've ever gotten actually, but I'd hate to limit you should you feel like being generous."

She turned in his embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck "Just how generous do you expect me to be?"

"The sky's the limit babe, you do whatever it is you were planning on doing. Don't let me stop you." She leaned in for another kiss that quickly escalated when Joe backed her up against the wall of the kitchen.

With his hands tightly gripping her hips and one of her hands coming up to rest on the back of his head and the other settling around his shoulders she lost herself in the moment. However the aroma coming from the Shrimp Scampi she'd made for dinner brought her back to her senses enough for her to resist any further advances.

"Dinner first," she told him quietly, her voice husky. "Then dessert."

She arched an eyebrow when Joe didn't immediately let her go, a mischievous glint appearing in her eyes when he did so with obvious reluctance. "Good boy. Or else we wouldn't get to the rest of the night."

"Oh really?" It was his turn to arch an eyebrow. "And what kind of activities did you have in mind for tonight?"

"If you don't stop distracting me you'll never find out." She chided, ducking away from him to see to the asparagus still cooking on the stove.

As much as he didn't want to keep his hands off her he found enough restraint to just stand back and watch her work with a smile. "So how long have you had this little surprise hidden up your sleeve? You told me last week you hadn't made any plans yet."

"I may have fibbed about that. Patrick helped me plan this out nearly a month ago, he was more than happy to offer his assistance with all the little nitty gritty details."

"So that's what you two have been conspiring about?"

"It's one of the main reasons we kept in touch as often as we did, yes. But then once Teresa got involved I was just sucked in. We're expected over at their house tomorrow night by the way, I was informed that our presence is mandatory."

The amused shake of Joe's head betrayed his seeming disapproval of the plans "Those two are worse then both our mothers combined. They give a whole new meaning to the phrase southern hospitality. They don't just befriend you, they adopt you into their family."

"Worse things have happened I'm sure." She took the finished vegetables off the stove and made sure she turned off all the burners. "Besides, it's only one evening and they both have been bugging me about it so we should just bite the bullet and get it over with. How bad could it really be?"

"With that family? It's always a toss up." He shrugged "But they are generally good company and their kids are unusually well behaved for their age so maybe not so bad. Patrick's really knows his way around a grill too so at the very least there will be plenty of good food."

She glanced over her shoulder at him, a little smirk firmly in place "That's all you ever think about isn't it? Whether or not you will be fed."

The wagging eyebrows she got in response were enough to let out a quiet laugh "It's not the _only_ thing I think about."

"You are such a dirty old man." she accused him endearingly.

"But seriously, food is most definitely a factor in the decision making process. I'm a man, at any given moment there are probably only three things on any man's mind."

"Sex, food and alcohol?" Jane guessed, finishing his sentence for him.

"How'd you get so smart baby? Got it in one try."

Laughing it off softly while she rummaged through his stuff for a pair of oven mitts, Jane gave her cheeky response "I peeked at the handbook, now I know all your dirty little secrets."

"Ha, you _wish_ you knew my secrets."

"Right now I'd settle for where you're hiding an oven mitt so I can take the garlic bread out before it burns." She continued searching random draws with no success waiting for him to answer.

"Umm…I'm not sure I actually have any. I usually just use a dish towel if I have to take out something hot. Not that I use the oven much."

Resigned to the fact that his kitchen was clearly lacking some of the most basic necessities she used a nearby dish towel to grab the hot cookie sheet out of the oven. "I should have known you wouldn't even have all the basics."

"What do you really expect? I cook even less than you do and the majority of the time I spend here I'm usually asleep. There's no point to have a fully functional kitchen here where it's not gonna get used when you have a perfectly good one at home with all the accessories."

"But we aren't home right now are we?" She pointed out sarcastically.

"No, but with the amount of time I spent there compared to here it really just isn't very important to me. Using the towel didn't kill you did it?"

She made a face at him and rummaged around for a knife to cut the bread. "You are _so_ lucky it's your birthday and I promised to be nice to you. At any other time that would have earned you mild bodily harm."

"I know babe, that's why I'm doing it now and will probably continue to do similar things until midnight tonight. Consider this your warning for any future encounters."

"Don't push it Joey, birthday privileges only go so far." She warned.

Now that the food was done and just needed to be dished up he didn't refrain from grabbing her around the waist and pulling her in close. Joe dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose causing her to scrunch it up and make another face at him. "I love you Jane, thank you for putting up with me all the time."

His confession served its purpose well, the annoyance that had been clear on Jane's face faded away and was replaced with genuine affection not often shared with anyone outside of her family.

"Come on birthday boy, time for dinner so you'll stop causing trouble. If you're good then you can have your present afterwards." She led him to the table in the small designated dinning room portion of his apartment.

There were two candles in the center of the table in mismatched holders that Joe didn't recognize and she'd set up two place settings of silverware and glasses. She pushed him down in one of the 4 chairs around the table and told him to stay put while she walked away to rummage around for a lighter.

When she located one she made quick work of lighting the candles while he watched, then gave him a glare to make sure he wouldn't get up yet.

She tossed the bread in a bowl, made up two plates of food and juggled all three long enough to make it to the table.

Once they were both settled in with their plates of food they shared a genuinely happy smile across the table and dug in.

There wasn't much said between the two of them for most of the meal, they'd long since grew accustomed to the stretches of comfortable silence they sometimes fell into during such occasions. Joe however did make it a point to tell her that she really should cook for him more often because despite what she make think, she was actually pretty good at it.

She easily dismissed the idea, reminding him of her erratic work schedule and lack of free time for such things.

After dinner was over Joe insisted he help her clean up so she grudgingly agreed and let him load the dirty dishes into his dishwasher.

"Thank you for dinner" He said, pulling in for another hug "now where's my present?"

"You are so impatient, can't you wait for five minutes?"

"Nope, unless you plan to distract me somehow" he leaned in to kiss her again, taking pleasure in indulging in one of his favorite distractions "in which case I can wait as long as you want."

"Not so fast mister" She pulled away from him "hold on a minute and I'll go get you your silly present.

She disappeared into his bedroom and came back out a few moments later carrying an envelope which she passed to him. "Go on, open it up."

He ripped up the flap on the back and pulled out a pair of Baltimore Orioles tickets. Upon closer inspection he found then to be to the game the coming Saturday against the Red Sox. "Aw thanks babe, we haven't ever gotten to go to a game together have we?"

"Nope, closest we got was that Yankee game the night before you left. I know it's gonna be a bit of a drive from here but I think it'll be worth it. We're almost right on the field down the first base line. "

"Really? How'd you manage that?" He asked excitedly, he'd never been that close to the field before at any of his previous games.

"I called in a lot of favors and had a little bit of luck on my side. When I went looking for the tickets originally I was hoping that it would be a home game, but I guess it worked out even better that it was away so I could make the trip down here."

"Funny how those things work out sometimes isn't it?" Joe mused.

"Yep, guess it was just meant to be." Jane agreed with a smile.

Joe put the tickets back in the envelope and hung them up on his fridge with a magnet so they wouldn't get lost then turned his attention back to Jane. "So now that we've tackled the present, what do I have to do to move the evening along to the dessert portion?"

"That depends, would you be implying _dessert _dessert or the other kind of dessert?

"I'm not picky, but both preferably. You know that only thing I love more than seeing you in that dress is taking it off you."

"Well unfortunately for you, you're not gonna get that honor tonight…but I think you'll be happy enough with the alternative."

Joe's pout at his lost opportunity suddenly turned into an intriguingly raised eyebrow. "And just what is the alternative?"

"A surprise" She replied vaguely, knowing her resistance in telling him would intrigue him even more.

"It's not nice to hold out on the birthday boy baby."

"Tough luck Joey, I'm not telling you so you're just gonna have to wait." Jane turned away back into the kitchen to retrieve the food dessert part of the evening.

She made Joe sit back down at the table then presented him with an extra large cupcake topped in chocolate icing and a lit candle stuck in the middle.

"I didn't think we needed a whole cake for just the two of us but no birthday is complete without the chance to blow out the candles and make a wish."

He grinned at her but couldn't help himself from teasing her just a little bit "You're not gonna sing for me?"

"Not this time, now blow out your candle and make a wish. I've been waiting to try a piece of that cupcake since I saw it in the bakery."

Joe closed his eyes, made his wish then blew out the single candle. They split the cupcake in half and Jane gave the majority of her frosting to Joe in honor of his earlier comment about icing. The fact that she let him lick it off her fingers instead of insisting on using a utensil only served to work Joe up even more.

When the only thing left of his celebratory cupcake was the lingering taste of chocolate on his tongue, he turned his attention from the baked confection to the woman sitting next to him "I was a fan of dessert part one, now how do I get to part two?"

Jane gave him a playful smile and told him to go make himself comfortable on the couch while she disappeared into his bedroom and closed the door behind her. Joe did as he was told, intrigued by the effort that she was taking to make sure whatever it was she was doing in there stayed a secret.

Left to his own devices and imagination, various fantasies he'd had with her in the starring role over the years proceeded to run rampant in his head. Her in garter belts and stockings in his office, sweaty gym sex on the sparring mats of the precinct's gym, cornering her in an empty interrogation room, peeling that little bikini off of her at the beach, taking her up against a locker in their old high school…

His thoughts came to an abrupt stop when his bedroom door cracked open and Jane made her appearance.

For a split second he felt like he had been thrown back in time.

She was dressed in almost an exact replica of their old Catholic school uniforms with a few minor changes. The knee socks were the same, but to his delight she'd rolled up the familiar plaid skirt to an insanely indecent length, the usual polo had been replaced with a white, short sleeved button down top that she hadn't bothered to button up all the way and where the ribbon had been just moments ago, there was a striped tie hanging loosely around her neck. She was holding something in her hand behind her back, but he couldn't get a good angle of it to figure out exactly what it was.

He stared at the vision before him for a few unbelieving seconds, rendered speechless by the mere existence of it all.

"Hey Joey" Jane took a few steps out of the door way closer to him "I heard a rumor that it was your birthday."

She wasn't sure if his groaned "Oh fuck yeah" was in response to her appearance or her question, but that didn't stop her from playing along.

"Such profanity" she chided him "A good little Catholic boy should know better. You kiss your mother with that mouth?"

"She's not really the one I had in mind tonight." Joe looked up at her from his spot on the couch, his eyes darkened with desire. At such a close proximity he could see the bright red lingerie right through the clean white of her shirt. It was the same damn color as the ribbon around her neck had been.

He'd never wanted to unwrap a present so badly than in that very moment. He wondered for a split second if she'd matched the colors on purpose.

He reached out for her to pull her down to him but she stepped back just out of his reach. "Not so fast mister baseball hotshot, don't get ahead of yourself now. Word around the school is you had this little fantasy about you and me rounding the bases."

His eyes widened when she revealed the worn baseball in her hand from behind her back and started tossing it in the air "You know what this is Joey?"

"A baseball" he smiled smugly, thinking he was catching on to her game.

"Not just any baseball though, can you guess what's so special about this ball?"

Joe looked at her blankly for a second, until she tossed the ball at him for a closer look. It was scoffed and worn from use, but it looked like she'd cleaned it up a bit since the last time it saw the dirt of any field. He turned it over in his hands and was surprised to see a date scribbled on one side in black permanent marker, what he recognized as his old jersey number right above it and another number below it. The second one didn't click in his head immediately; he had to think about it for a few moments before the realization of what he was holding in his hands actually was.

"Holy shit you found it?" He looked up at her with wide excited eyes "How come you never told me?"

She sent him a reproachful glare "I've kept that for years Joey, you never asked."

"I didn't think you were even there for that game. You'd said you had somewhere you had to be when your friend asked you what you were doing that weekend…"

Jane smiled at him sweetly "And I did. I was there, the whole game. Didn't Maggie tell you?"

_The day of the last baseball game of Joe's high school career was a warm Saturday in late May. For the first time in twenty years the team had made it into the championship game for their conference. Almost the entire Grant family was in the crowd when Joe scanned the larger than normal audience during pre-game warm up drills the team had been running through. _

_His mother and father were settled in on the bleachers with a cooler and little Maggie was holding a poster board sign with his last name and jersey number on it, waving it excitedly when she thought he'd glanced in her direction. He assumed Nikki might show up later but she wasn't really the person he'd been hoping to see in the crowd anyway. He'd been hinting at Jane for the whole week that if she didn't have anywhere else to be she should come watch the game so she could say she was there to see some history in the making. She'd brushed him off every time he'd mentioned It, giving him some vague response before continuing to ignore him as was customary for them._

_Had he been a little more thorough in his search, he would have spotted the dark haired teen he'd been hoping to see, leaning casually against the fence surrounding the field, half way between third base and left field waiting for the game to start. She'd brought a blanket to sit on to watch the game from the sidelines, set up a few feet back from where she was standing and a little cooler with a few cans of cold root beer and a bag of pretzels. She had a clear view of home plate (and more importantly, Joe in his catcher's gear behind the plate) and was far enough from the bleachers that the small children and family dogs belonging to the other spectators wouldn't bother her. _

_The first few innings of the game were uneventful, both pitchers were having good days and the number of strike outs was growing pretty fast on both sides. The other team broke the slump first, hitting a pair of doubles and a single in the fifth inning to finally put a score on the board. The runner on first however had gotten just a little bit too anxious and Joe had picked him off trying to steal second base, effectively ending that inning and preventing any more runs from being scored. When their team had been up to bat, they only managed a frustrating array of easy grounders, caught fly balls and more strike outs. _

_Maggie, having lost interest in the game somewhere around the sixth inning, wandered away from her parents in search of something to entertain herself. When she stumbled upon Jane and her blanket a few minutes later she immediately went for her. _

"_Hi Janie!" She'd greeted the teen excitedly, happy to see someone she knew at the game besides her parents. _

_Jane looked away from the game, startled by the unexpected attention "Hi there Miss Maggie, did you come with your parents to watch your brother play?" _

"_Yeah, Daddy said I had to. But it's boring and I don't think he can see my sign anyway. There's too many other people next to us and my arms aren't long enough to get it high enough for him to see from all the way behind the plate." She explained dejectedly, kicking a stray rock on the ground with her shoe. _

"_Well I'm sure we can fix that" she said getting up from her blanket and looking around. "Do your parent's know you wandered off? If your daddy is ok with it you can come keep me company for the rest of the game, there's only a few more innings left and we'll hold your sign up out here real high so maybe he'll see it since there isn't anyone else around to block it." _

"_Really? Cool! I'm gonna go ask him!" The little girl scampered off to climb back up the bleachers and returned a few minutes later to show Jane the big sign she'd made the night before, decorated in their school's colors. _

"_Do you think he'll like it?" She asked, handing it over for Jane's inspection. _

"_I think he'll love it, kiddo. Now since you're still a bit of a midget how about you sit on my shoulders next inning when they run out on the field or when your brother's up so you can be up super high and he'll have the best chance of seeing your sign?" _

"_Hey, I'm not a midget!" Maggie whined "I'm just not a giant like you!" _

_She placated the miffed child with her very own can of root beer and some shared pretzels. Between innings she hoisted the little girl onto her shoulders as promised and she happily held up her sign and cheered for her big brother as their team jogged on to the field. _

_Walking out of the dugout before pulling down his mask one inning, Joe looked up when he heard his name being called in a familiar voice. He scanned the crowd briefly but was surprised to see the sign way down the third base line almost in the outfield. It was definitely Maggie's yell he'd heard but he couldn't see the face of whoever's shoulders she was sitting on since the person had been wearing a hat, but he smiled at the sign and waved at her before catching the last few warm up pitches before the start of the inning. _

_The combination of well called pitches and a good defense managed to prevent any more runs from scoring and it was the ninth inning in no time. Joe was up third that inning so he watched as the first batter grounded out up the third base line, then waited in the on deck circle while the next batter reached first base on an error by the shortstop. With a few questionable calls from the umpire behind the plate he'd managed to rack up a full count but took several deep breathes to calm his racing heart and keep his focus on the game. He fouled off the next three pitches before connecting with the fourth and sent the ball soaring over the fence of the left field wall for a 2 run homerun. His hit kept them in the game but it was not enough to win it on its own. Unfortunately the rest of his team hadn't had any luck at the plate that inning and the game went into extra innings. _

_Jane and Maggie saw the ball go over the fence, bounce once or twice then roll into the woods behind the field. When one of the freshmen came out to get the ball back, they pointed him over to where they had seen the ball roll off and wished him luck. The poor kid returned empty handed and scratched from unforgiving pricker bushes a few minutes later and jogged back over to the dugout. _

_In the end they hadn't ended up winning the game, but Joe had managed to make school history anyway with that final homerun. Not only did he prevent the other pitcher from pitching a perfect game, but he'd broken the school's reigning career RBIs record. The team gave him one of the game balls in honor of the occasion but when he'd asked if anyone had picked up his homerun ball, the unlucky freshman sent out to retrieve it had to break it to him that the ball was lost in the woods._

_Joe was more disappointed than mad, but he didn't take it out on the younger guy once he noticed the scratched on his arms, he'd done his best to get it back, it wasn't entirely his fault. _

_Once he'd gathered his stuff and was ready to go home he was met with congratulatory hugs and handshakes from his parents and little sister. He meant to ask her who she'd been with when he saw her on the sidelines but in all the excitement of the broken record and memorializing his final game as a high school senior with way too many pictures, the thought got pushed to the back of his brain and forgotten. _

"You were the one holding Maggie up with the sign weren't you?" he finally put two and two together.

"Sure was, she even got me to cheer for you along with her." Jane confirmed, finally coming to settle down on his lap, one leg on either side of him. "You didn't really think I would miss your last game did you?"

Joe's attention immediately shifted from the ball in his hand to the woman on his lap. "Well you didn't really give me any indication you _wanted_ to be there, I just hoped you would show up anyway."

Jane took the ball from his hand and put it on the coffee table behind her before leaning in to whisper in his ear. "And I did. I even crawled through a bunch of pricker bushes and dodged some poison ivy to get that ball for you. So in honor of you finally getting it back, I suggest we play our own little game to commemorate the occasion. You interested?"

"Baby, I'm up for anything right now"

She wriggled her hips a bit and ground down on his lap "not quite yet" she corrected him sassily "but you're getting there"

He let out a frustrated groan and tried to pull her in for a kiss only to be thwarted once again.

"Is that a yes?"

"It's whatever you want it to be as long as it'll let me touch you."

Knowing she had all the control, she sat back on his knees and explained her game. "The game is simple, but has two parts to it. Kind of like the normal 9 innings then a few bonus extra innings." She smirked at him. "I'll make sure you round the bases and get your homerun tonight, but after that, for every RBI that ball accounts for, I'll match in kisses until I hit that number. Think of it as a gift that keeps on giving."

Joe glanced at the ball, he knew what number was on there, it was a decently large number but it wouldn't last forever "And what happens if you ever match it? You gonna suddenly stop kissing me? Because I might have a problem with that."

"When I get there we'll see. I may just have to go back to kissing you for fun. Or maybe we'll start in on another record Narcotics Detective, I'm sure there are a few we can try to tackle." She leaned in and finally brushed her lips against his in a light teasing caress "You wanna play or not?"

"You're on Baby. Did that count as first base or number 1?"

"That was just a bonus" she chuckled before sealing their lips together for a more heady and deep kiss. "That was first base."

"Mmm I love baseball, best sport in the world…"

* * *

Waking up tangled in the woman he loved was not a new experience for Joe, but when he finally stirred and felt the familiar presence of Jane's back pressed up against his chest something seemed off about the familiar situation, even before he opened his eyes to the early morning sun. She smelled the same as she always did, or at least how she had since they'd started sharing a bathroom, a distinct combination of his favorite soap and her own mildly scented hair products, her skin was just as soft as it ever was when he nuzzled his nose through her hair and left a delicate kiss on the back of her neck but something still didn't feel right.

It wasn't until he actually opened his eyes and recognized his surroundings that the reason it felt so foreign became abundantly clear. There would be no dog at the foot of the bed trying to get a few minutes of cuddle time with her favorite people, no chance of a morning spent outside on the balcony sharing a simple breakfast and not even a hint of the usual shared domestic fundamentals like a shared closet that always made him smile when he saw them.

He wouldn't be treated to any of those things because he wasn't at home.

When he looked out the window to confirm, the increasingly familiar D.C. skyline taunted him instead of the welcome glow of the first light in Boston.

The fact that Jane was here with him was the only saving grace at the moment.

Last night it had been a quite literal, dream come true to find her waiting for him at his place, but now surveying the uninviting space that his apartment was, he realized just how much Jane didn't belong here. He would always want her with him and in his bed, wherever he was, there was no doubt about that, but she deserved more than the bland scarcely lived in bachelor pad he occupied four days a week. Where her, no _their _home was full of life and color, his drab little place left a lot to be desired.

He wanted to share it all with her always, the memories, the pictures, the silly walking mop of a dog of hers, the lazy mornings in Jane's comfy bed and the quiet times out on the balcony, shared dinners and food fights in her kitchen, falling asleep watching a movie on her couch, joint showers and even getting up to go to work together. To know that he didn't have that here, wouldn't ever really have all that here, was almost physically painful.

It was that realization more than anything else prior that he knew he wouldn't be staying in Washington for very long. He'd told her last night that he didn't care where they were, she was his home and he meant every word, but in his heart he knew he wouldn't be content until he had the whole package deal.

He knew what he wanted, had for awhile if he were to be honest with himself. He'd dreamed of that little house back in Boston, with the porch swing out front and a yard out back, he didn't need the white picket fence but the dog and kids had always been in the plan.

As he lay there in bed idly tracing circles with his thumb into the skin of her hip and day dreaming, Jane cracked her eyes open to an unfamiliar setting. For a brief moment she was confused, then panicked when her room didn't come into focus in her still drowsy eyes, but once she recognized Joe's familiar scent and warm body pressed against hers she relaxed.

Joe was distracted from his day dream when he felt Jane stir and then immediately tense up. He tightened his arm around her waist in an offering of comfort and had a smile waiting for her when she turned around in his arms to face him.

"Good morning Beautiful" his greeting came accompanied by a gentle kiss and a hand to brush her unruly bed head hair away from her face.

"Hi" she answered sleepily, much more relaxed after the reassurance of his morning kiss. "We aren't in Kansas anymore are we Toto?

He met her half hearted joke with a chuckle "'Fraid not Dorothy." He traced the line of her jaw with his thumb and kissed her again. "Welcome to Oz."

"Mmm, does that make you the scarecrow?" she teased him once she pulled away a few inches to meet his eyes. "If you only had a brain…" she hummed.

The playful twinkle in her eyes had him grinning despite the jab. "Only if you get me a Tin Man and Cowardly Lion, you already have the little dog. But just for future reference, no this isn't a dream."

"Good. It's not home…" she looked around at the barren room "but it could be worse. As long as I've got you around I can handle it, though it did throw me off waking up in a strange place."

"Nothing's as good as home" he agreed "but it serves its purpose during the week."

"You haven't done much with the place" she remarked casually, recalling the distinct lack of personal touches around his apartment "at first I though Patrick had dropped me off at the wrong place last night."

"Haven't really had much time, or drive to do anything with it. Usually when I'm not at work I'm either asleep, eating or at home with you. Doesn't leave much time for emptying boxes and decorating now does it?"

She met his easy smile with one of her own "Guess not. Guess I'm just used to more…I don't know, stuff? I've gotten used to having all our things around all the time, it's kinda weird to be in a place that's so empty now."

"You baby, are a creature of habit" he told her and dropped a kiss on her forehead "You don't like changing your everyday routine. Honestly it's still kinda strange for me too though, it still throws me off sometimes being here, especially after leaving home and coming back here Sunday nights."

"Well it's not Sunday yet so how about we stop all this talk about your sub-par living arrangements and you make me some breakfast? I'm hungry" She gave him the sweetest smile she could muster and even batted her eyelashes at him a few times for added effect "Please?"

"Deadly combination there baby, sweeten the deal just a little bit more and you've got yourself a deal."

Jane didn't have to ask what he wanted, instead she leaned in and captured his mouth in a heated but languid kiss. "That sweet enough for you?"

"It'll do for now. What number is that by the way?" He asked her as he threw back the sheets and slid out of bed to find a clean pair of boxers. "Are you supposed to be keeping track or am I?"

"I think we both should keep a tally just to be fair. And by my count that was two." The suspicious and slightly confused look he gave her made her giggle a little before she felt he needed an explanation. "I'm only counting the times I kiss you, not the other way around."

His eyes lit up with her words before he gave her a devilish grin "So I can distract you all I want and they don't count towards my overall total?"

"Nope, not a one of them. This was my present to you Joey, not the other way around" She reminded him with a smile. "Just don't distract me too much or I'll start subtracting from the number on the ball."

Joe grabbed a pair of boxers from his dresser and pulled them on quickly "Ok fine, I'll play by the rules…mostly."

Jane watched from her spot as he approached her side of the bed with a determined look "What are you up to mister?"

"If I have to be up to make you breakfast, you're keeping me company." He reached out to grab her but she scooted away out of his reach to the other side of the bed before he made contact.

"That wasn't part of the deal, I demanded breakfast not getting chased outta bed!"

"Too bad, if you want breakfast you're gonna hafta get up Janie, kitchen isn't opening without you." He rounded the bed and lunged for her again.

Jane tried to get out of the way in time but she wasn't expecting Joe to hop on the bed with her so she ended up trapped in his arms and at his mercy but not at all minding being caught. That is until he surprised her by attacking her ticklish sides.

"Ok you win, I'm getting up" She laughed as she wiggled out of his grasp then brushed a kiss across his lips "and that makes three."

"I'll believe it when I see it babe" Joe rolled off the bed again after releasing her and waited for her to get up as promised. "Cooking isn't as fun when I don't have a partner."

"You don't usually have anybody with you at home when you make me food, why the sudden need for companionship?"

Joe watched as Jane made good on her promise and crawled out of bed. She located Joe's discarded shirt from the night before and slipped it on then dug a clean pair of underwear from her bag in the corner.

"Sure I do, I have Friday to keep me company when you're too lazy to get outta bed. She doubles as a mop and vacuum cleaner if I drop anything too."

Jane choked back a snort at his comment "That's the real reason why she likes you so much isn't it?"

Joe gave her an innocent look and led her out of the room by the hand and into his small kitchen "I have no idea what you mean babe."

Jane hopped up on the counter next to his stove and made herself comfortable "Ok Bobby Flay, do your thing."

Joe did as was requested of him and collected the ingredients for pancakes. As he passed by the coffeemaker he flipped it on and kept going. He didn't actually need Jane to be there for any particular reason but he liked having her close to him whenever he could. It wasn't long before they fell into their normal routine of playful insults and banter.

Jane made herself useful by buttering the warm pancakes as Joe scraped them from the pan and divided them up between two plates. A bottle of syrup and some forks later and they were both enjoying breakfast at the table.

After the dishes had been stowed away in the dishwasher and more coffee was poured they retreated to his couch to come up with a plan for the day.

Patrick wouldn't be off work until after five, so that gave them nearly all day to kill before they would be expected at the Schaffer residence for a belated birthday celebration. Eventually they decided on something simple yet appropriate for them.

They spent the morning walking through the various parks and memorials of the nation's fallen heroes then stopped for lunch beside the reflecting pool before heading over to the National Museum of Natural History and The National Museum of American History. They didn't stay in either place for very long, Joe wasn't much of a museum person but as he watched Jane enjoy herself as they made their way through the various exhibits, he found he didn't mind it so much when he was with her.

After the museums he finished showing her around town, touching on all the basic tourist attractions and pointing out the few places of interest he'd found himself that he promised to take her to the next time she was in town.

They made a point to walk by the White House and he offered to bring her over to the United States Botanic Garden but Jane brushed off the invitation in favor of getting back to his place. Neither much cared for flowers and plants past their appearance, they could probably only name a handful of species between them anyway. As beautiful a place it was, Jane didn't really feel it was a necessary stop for them this time, although she did think it was sweet that he even suggested it in the first place.

By the time they made it back to his apartment it was nearly time to head out again for Patrick's house.

They had moved the piñata and his briefcase from the entryway before they left the apartment that morning so when they returned later that evening and they were both still where he'd left them, it reminded Joe he had something to give to Jane.

He dug through his briefcase and pulled out the opened packet of peanut butter cups. "Your share of the loot." He said handing over the package as they settled on the couch.

"But we didn't work a case" she pointed out but accepted the offered treat anyway. "They were supposed to be for you and that sweet tooth of yours that you always deny you have."

"It's habit now; I haven't eaten a whole package since we worked that case together. Besides think of it as a thank you present for last night." He wagged his eyebrows at her suggestively "You made an old fantasy of mine finally come true, even if it was a few years after I'd originally thought it up. I think you actually improved on it. Now that's one thing I can cross of my list."

"Well I figured it was a special occasion and all, and you _had_ made that comment about birthday wishes. It seemed like a perfectly reasonable thing to do for you this once. Don't expect me to do stuff like that all the time though, once you've actually had to live the Catholic school girl look for several years it's not as fun to dress up as later."

"I guess I can accept that, but you definitely did the part justice babe." He leaned over and kissed her cheek "Thank you for doing it for me, you have no idea the number of dreams I had in high school about something along those lines."

She gave him a sassy smirk and asked "And was the reality as good as the dream?"

"It was soooo much better." His answer had the desired effect and they both took a moment to laugh with each other, but Jane's question had him wondering about something he'd never quite known the answer to.

"Did you ever dream about me…or us back then?" Joe posed the question as their laugher quieted down.

The smile never left Jane's face as she answered his silly question "Of course I did, I was just a lot better at hiding it then you were. It wasn't like every night or anything but there were a few very good dreams that I remember you playing a part in."

His eyes lit up like a Christmas tree at her reply "Really?"

"Yeah, our problem was never about us not being attracted to each other, I'm pretty sure we had that base covered almost from the beginning. It was we never seemed to be able to get along. In our dreams that wasn't an issue, at least it wasn't in mine."

"So how do I compare to dream Joe?"

"I'm still here aren't I? I'm still your girl and I'm still keeping you around, that should be answer enough for you."

"Works for me, I got the girl from my dreams and the woman I love in reality. Can't complain about that at all."

Jane flashed him a radiant smile and leaned in to give him kiss number four. When she pulled back Joe had a silly grin on his face that reached his eyes. "Have I told you today how much I love your last present? I think I can honestly say it one of the best I've ever gotten for any occasion."

"Stop going all sentimental on me Joey, you'll ruin your hardened tough guy image you've worked so hard on all these years."

"Only with you babe, only with you."

In an attempt to steer him away from that overly affectionate side of himself Jane still hadn't quite gotten used to yet she suggested getting them some coffee while they relaxed until Patrick called.

The rubber ducky was still sitting on his coffee table staring out back at him as Joe waited for Jane to return with their mugs so he finally broke down and asked about it.

"Are you ever going to tell me why you thought I needed a rubber ducky piñata?"

Jane beamed at him from across the room as she poured them both some coffee. "What's the matter, you don't like ducks?"

"I have nothing against them I suppose, but that thing" he said pointing to the duck in front of him "isn't real nor is it bath tub friendly. What's the deal?"

She handed off a mug to him before settling down on his sofa to regard the toy on the table. "I warned you about the piñata part, the duck part just seemed fitting."

When Joe met her comment with a clearly confused look she elaborated for his benefit.

"When Korsak let me know he knew about us we came up with a kind of code name for you since he knows how much I don't like discussing private things at the office. Since he saw us together at the park at the duck pond and I tried to use the ducks as an excuse for being there he saw right through me. After that he started referring to you as a duck or when anyone else was around, which by the way drives Frost up the wall that he doesn't know what it means."

"Ah so _that's_ what he meant…" Joe mumbled to himself.

Jane gave him her own quizzical look so he tried to cover his slip up. "Uh I had called Korsak a while ago; to talk about…guy stuff. When he realized it was me, he called me himself. I guess that makes a little more sense now, originally I had no idea what he meant."

"Guy stuff? What the hell does that even mean?"

"Nothing of importance to you, so don't bother asking about it again I'm not going to tell you. I doubt Korsak will either so don't get your hopes up about it, it wasn't anything special."

"You know he's actually been really great about this whole thing. I know he gave us a hard time that one time in the car but I think he's learned his lesson about that. He's backed off a lot since we had a little _chat_ about stuff like that. I think he's finally realized that this isn't a temporary thing and he needs to stop trying to be my overprotective older brother/father figure. I get enough of that crap from my actual family."

"He's just looking out for you babe, just like everyone else is. If you weren't so stubborn all the time maybe you'd have figured that out already." He pulled her closer to his side on the couch and wrapped his arm around her.

Although she readily snuggled into his side she still felt the need to rebel to his words. "Oh shut up you" her words were punctuated by a slap to his leg "I don't need to be protected and I am not that stubborn."

He looked down at her "Oh really? Could have fooled me."

"I don't think I like you anymore." She tried to distance herself from him but Joe tightened his hold on her shoulders and wouldn't let her slip away.

"You are such a liar baby. You love me and you know it." He left his mug on the coffee table to pull her into his lap and wrap her up in his arms so she couldn't escape. "Just admit it."

Ever the defiant woman, Jane made a half hearted attempt to break free of his hold "Nope, not gonna happen."

"You know you want to…just give in Janie"

"Not gonna say it Joey."

"I have ways of making you talk you know, I'm not afraid to play a little dirty to get what I want." He proved his point by dropping one hand from the embrace and sliding it up under her shirt as he used his other hand to pull her head down.

When his phone rang a few moments later, they reluctantly broke apart from the heated kiss he'd locked her into. He held on to her with one arm, determined to keep her right where she was and unclipped the phone from his belt to answer the offending object with the other.

"Grant"

"Hey Joe, so how did you like your birthday present last night?"

"I must say Pat, it was one hell of a nice surprise. Don't think I've ever enjoyed a present quite as much." He met Jane's eyes and returned her mischievous little smile "I hear I have you to thank for at least some of that."

"Think nothing of it, I'm just glad you enjoyed yourselves." He laughed "Anyway I just got home and Teresa and the kids are bugging me about getting you to come over so I'm officially passing the pestering on to you. Head on over when you guys are ready and don't forget your little yellow friend. I told the kids you were bringing them a special surprise to celebrate your birthday."

"Alright we'll be over soon…wait did Teresa's cousin have a chance to look at my car today? I forgot I don't have a vehicle at the moment, we took the bus around town today."

Patrick let out another chuckle "Oh don't worry about that, I brought your car back last night. It's in your parking lot and the keys are under the floor mat on the passenger side. That was just me tampering with your car so you'd go home instead of to the airport."

"What the hell did you do man, kill my battery and cut the lines?"

"Nah, I'm not that mean. I just loosened the battery cables and siphoned your gas tank. Oh and spilled a bucket of water under your car with a splash of gas to make it authentic. Jane would have shot me if I'd let you fly all the way to Boston when she was waiting for you here so I had to think of something."

"If that hadn't been for such an irrefutably good purpose I woulda had to punch you Pat, I hope you know that."

Patrick didn't sound very worried "Of course, but I think I'd rather face you than Jane. I've seen my share of angry women in my day and it's never a good thing."

"I'll agree with you on that one. I guess I can forgive you this time but don't you dare think about doin' something like that again got it?"

"It was enough of a hassle last time, I doubt I'd try it again for no reason. Now get your butts over here so we can celebrate already."

"Ok we're on our way, see ya soon Pat."

"We'll all be waiting."

* * *

A/N: That's about as close to a cliff hanger as I'll ever come just fyi. There was a reason for stopping it there I promise, the next chapter will go more into detail with Patrick and Teresa and their kids but it would have made things way too long for a single chapter and I wanted to have more stories from our favorite couple to share but didn't want to over load any one chapter with too many flashbacks. I know people have said they like them but I don't want to go overboard on them so people start to NOT like them so much anymore. Also I know some people might have wanted to get more details about the rounding the bases part but I'm already sleep deprived and trying to type this so you'll have something to read, I'll be better next time I promise, until then just use your great little imaginations and fill in the blanks. Let me know what you think and I'll get back to writing next chapter as soon as I can ( I'm already a few pages in so that's a good sign :-) ) Thanks for reading and hope to hear from you soon.


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